The Last Offer for Oliver Queen
by mjf2468
Summary: Ra's is relentless in his attempt to convince Oliver Queen to accept his offer to become his heir. When Roy dies in a jail fight, Oliver decides to accept the offer in order to use the Lazarus Pit. Felicity refuses to let him leave without saying goodbye. How will this change their relationship? Read and see if Oliver is able to figure out how to escape Ra's' clutches.
1. Chapter 1: Ra's' Offer

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: This is my take of what will happen the rest of the episodes of season 3, after episode 3x18 "Public Enemy". Partly based on previews, partly based on spoilers, it may indeed be proven right. Most likely not, though, so this will probably be AU as soon as the rest of the episodes air. Hope you enjoy.**

The morning after Roy's arrest and Oliver's release, Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle were in the Arrow cave preparing to flee. They had decided to find another hideout, since they knew their current place was jeopardized. Working mostly in silence, each member concentrated on their tasks of getting the cave packed up. Meanwhile, miles away, at Iron Heights Prison, during a prisoner transfer a fight breaks out. Typical jail fight. A hidden shank pulled on an unsuspecting prisoner, and a young man ends up dead.

Oliver's phone rang. He picked it up as he was standing behind the computers. He registered it was Laurel calling as he answered. Diggle watched as the color drained out of his teammate's face, unable to determine the nature of the call because Oliver didn't make a sound as he listened. Oliver stared into space as he disconnected the phone and gently placed it on the desk. He closed his eyes as tears began to course down his tanned cheeks.

"Oliver, what is it?" Diggle asked, drawing Felicity's attention. She turned to face the men, also becoming concerned by Oliver's reactions. Her heart turned cold as she realized she had never witnessed such a look upon her friend's face before.

"That was Laurel. There….there was a fight at Iron Heights. Three men jumped Roy. They…they…"

"What are you saying?" Felicity asked, fear apparent in her voice.

"He's dead. Roy is dead." Oliver's voice sounded robotic. "He was killed in a prison fight while they were transferring him."

Dig's heart broke. For Roy, for Thea. But most of all for the young man in front of him, who was forever taking on all the world's burdens onto his shoulders. Dig knew Oliver was taking the entire blame for this, even though he really shouldn't. But Oliver was nothing if not consistent, and taking blame for everything wrong happening in his sphere of existence was his mode of behavior.

"I can't believe it happened. I can't believe Roy is dead. It is all my fault." Oliver sat down, barely registering the chair behind him. He buried his head in his hands.

Felicity shook herself out of her paralysis. "Oliver, it's not your fault."

"No use in trying to persuade him, Felicity. He's going to believe it regardless of what either of us say," Diggle said gently.

Oliver looked up from his hands and asked, "What else can I think, Digg?"

"You wouldn't be you, I suppose, without trying to carry around that ton of guilt you insist upon carrying. All the time. Despite common sense."

"How could I let him take the blame for me?"

"Oliver, you must realize that all of us have the right to our own decisions. Roy did also." Dig walked over and placed a gentle hand upon Oliver's shoulder. "He wanted to save you for once. That doesn't make you responsible. He made his own decision to take the blame. The only one at fault here are the men who killed him. And Ra's."

Oliver jumped up. "But don't you see? If I had only accepted Ra's' offer in the first place, no one would've died. None of those innocent people, not the mayor." He paused, then said quietly, "Not Roy."

Felicity said as she walked towards him, "How could you know? You said it seemed like an innocent offer, without conditions. He didn't make it sound like a threat."

Oliver shook his head. "I need some air." He grabbed his jacket and left. Felicity was about to follow him, but Diggle caught her by the arm.

"Let him be. He needs some time alone." As if he had to make himself say it, Diggle added, "He'll be fine." He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Felicity or himself.

Felicity worried her lower lip. "I hope so, Dig, I hope so."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Oliver walked along the streets of Starling, occasionally kicking a spare pebble. He knew Diggle and Felicity were right, like they usually were. That it wasn't his fault. None of it. However, believing it went against his belief system. How could anything be right again when a young man died because of following his example? Of trying to save him, when it was his mission to begin with? Why would he be worth saving over Roy?

Suddenly a van pulled up next to him. Oliver took a defensive stance, and watched Maseo get out of the passenger side.

"Ra's wishes to speak to you, Oliver. Please come with us without trouble."

The side door of the van opened up, revealing two other assassins inside the van. Oliver decided to accompany them, to avoid any passers-by being hurt in the possible squabble.

They rode in silence for about a mile until the van stopped in front of one of the many abandoned warehouses in the Glades. Oliver got out of the van, followed by the assassins. Maseo walked in front of him into the building.

Torches were lit along the way, and at the far end of the room Ra's waited, wearing his traditional robes.

_Does he always wear those damn robes?_ The miscellaneous thought went through Oliver's mind. Oliver prepared himself for another round of verbal battle, Ra's-style.

"Hello, Mr. Queen," the cultured tones of Ra's reached out to him.

Oliver watched as Ra's walked towards him. Again. With a look in his eyes which made Oliver very uncomfortable.

"What do you want?"

"To extend my condolences. I am so sorry for the loss of your teammate."

Oliver was torn between screaming at the man in front of him and tearing him to pieces. "He was more than just a teammate."

"I know," Ra's said in a deceptively gentle tone. The look on his face appeared sympathetic, almost like a father's to a son, but Oliver knew better.

With everything he had, Oliver struggled against the desperate need to pound Ra's into the ground. However, looking at the guards accompanying him, Oliver knew it wasn't a good idea.

"What do you want, Ra's?" Oliver gritted his teeth so hard he had the passing thought of wondering whether a person ever did break his own teeth.

"To make you an offer," Ra's said.

"Again? What is different this time?"

"You seem to have forgotten. One of the benefits of being Ra's al Ghul is inheriting the Lazarus Pits. You alone can determine who can use them to return to life after being killed."

The words echoed through Oliver's brain. Could he actually bring Roy back? Was it worth his very soul to bring the young man back? Picturing Thea's face when she learned of Roy's death made his decision a no-brainer.

"Okay."

"Okay, what?"

Oliver looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and let it out in a huff, closing his eyes and lowering his shoulders. He opened his eyes to see Ra's with a small smile on his lips, head slightly cocked, and waiting patiently for Oliver's answer.

"Okay, I agree to be your heir. _If _you bring Roy back from the dead."

"You misunderstand. I don't make you ascending to your role as Heir a condition to which the lad will be resurrected. As Heir, _you_ will have access to the Pit. As I have said, you can choose who uses it."

"If so, I choose to accompany you to Nanda Parbat with Roy and the rest of my team. We will then resurrect my friend, and they will leave. Without further complications or conditions." Oliver paused, attempted to slow his racing heart, and said, "I will then stay and become your Heir."

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Ra's took a step forward. "I am certain, given time, you will not regret this decision." He took pleasure in the small grimace crossing Oliver's face. "I have arranged for your friend to be loaded upon our private jet. We will leave tomorrow at noon." Adopting a look of concern, Ra's continued. "That does give you enough time to settle your affairs, I hope."

_As if I had any other choice. _

"It should. I will see you then."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

The remaining members of Team Arrow were all gathered in the foundry, waiting for Oliver. Oliver had sent them all a text asking them to meet there, but didn't give any other details except it was urgent.

"I wonder what Oliver wants to talk about. Any ideas, Digg?" Laurel asked.

"No. I haven't talked to him. Just received his text."

Felicity asked, "He was away on his walk for an awfully long time. Could something have happened?"

Diggle shook his head. "I don't know. At this point… I just don't know."

They were interrupted by the sound of Thea coming down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom and looked at Laurel, Felicity and Diggle.

"Ollie's not here yet?" Thea asked, looking for answers in the others' faces.

"No. You received his text as well?" Felicity asked, her face showing her surprise.

"Yeah, you too? Wonder what he wants to talk about."

Felicity walked over to Thea. She took in the younger woman's reddened eyes and weary posture. "How are you doing, Thea? I'm so sorry."

Thea flew into her open arms. "I don't know why this had to happen now. We just got back together. We were finally happy again," she stammered between sobs.

They were again interrupted by the sound of feet. Thea stopped crying with some effort as Oliver walked in, a somber look on his face.

"Thanks for coming, guys. I …I have something to tell you."

He took one last look at each teammate's face, meeting their eyes fully aware the reaction his news would have on them. His eyes rested on Thea last, noting the tear-soaked face, and he took a deep breath.

"On my walk I ran into Ra's. We had a talk." Taking a breath, he said, "I've decided to accept Ra's' offer. I'm going to be the next Ra's al Ghul."

Oliver watched as various expressions crossed his teammates' faces, as they struggled to process his news. As expected, Felicity was the first to speak.

"Why, Oliver? You need to tell us why."

"So we can get Roy back."

Four voices cried, "What?"

"You guys might not believe me, but I really do hate keeping secrets from you. It's just that…there's always so much involved with each of them." Oliver got up and walked over to the table of arrows, and picked up an arrowhead. "I know we talked somewhat about the existence of Lazarus pits."

Diggle raised an eyebrow. "Really, we had thought it was a myth."

"No, during our visit to Nanda Parbat Ra's showed me one of those pits and told me about how it has kept him alive for over 400 years."

"Four_ hundred _years? You've got to be kidding, Ollie." Thea asked.

"No, it's true."

"So, what? You sacrifice yourself once again? For one of us?" Felicity asked.

"We get Roy back. He'd be alive. To be with you guys." Oliver looked at his sister, who was watching him with wide eyes. "To marry Thea someday. To have a family he deserves." He paused, then continued. "The plan would be…we would all go to Nanda Parbat, get Roy taken care of, and…when he's ready to travel, you would all then return to Starling. Without me."

"What about you? Don't you deserve a happy ending?" Felicity asked through her tears.

Oliver shrugged his shoulders with his characteristic sheepish look on his face he wore when he was feeling self-conscious. "Don't make me out to be some type of hero, Felicity."

Felicity walked over to Oliver and took his hand. "You still don't get it, you dummy. You _are _a hero. _Our_ hero. Why do you always have to be so self-sacrificing all the time?"

Anger crossed Oliver's face, and he pulled his hand away. "Don't you think I don't want to be? I _never _wanted this." He spread his arms out, taking in the surroundings of the foundry. "_Any_ of this. Don't ask me why these things keep happening to me, but they do." He sighed, anger disappearing into reluctant acceptance. "They just keep happening, so what else can I do?"

"We could…" Diggle started.

"No, I've thought of it all. No army exists which could storm Nanda Parbat. There's really nothing I can do to stop Ra's from pursuing his insane desire to make me his heir. Nothing." Oliver gave Diggle a weary look. "I'm just tired of this. He has left me with no other move. I can't have anybody else killed because of this."

Diggle looked at Oliver, then at Thea, whose eyes were appearing glassy. He shared a look with Felicity, who gave a little shrug then nodded her head reluctantly. Diggle looked back at Oliver and nodded. Team Arrow was heading for Nanda Parbat.

**AN: Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think. And enjoy the new Arrow episode airing this week. I sure will! (Despite the foreshadowed sadness.)**


	2. Chapter 2: Felicity's Offer

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Some of you may have already most of this chapter. I did post the first version of this under the title of "An Olicity Wedding Story" because I couldn't wait to finish chapter one before I posted it. Ha. However, there are some changes, so take a look-see anyway. Thanks!**

**Otherwise, hope you all enjoy this angsty and fluffy chapter. Before the angst truly begins. It does include "that scene" from the promo covering the rest of the season. **

**Oh, and a big thank you to all of you for reading, reviewing and/or favoriting this story! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

"_No, I've thought of it all. No army exists which could storm Nanda Parbat. There's really nothing I can do to stop Ra's from pursuing his insane desire to make me his heir. Nothing." Oliver gave Diggle a weary look. "I'm just tired of this. He has left me with no other move. I can't have anybody else killed because of this."_

_Diggle looked at Oliver, then at Thea, whose eyes were appearing glassy. He shared a look with Felicity, who gave a little shrug then nodded her head reluctantly. Diggle looked back at Oliver and nodded. Team Arrow was heading for Nanda Parbat._

An uncomfortable silence came over the group. Nobody knew what to do, what to do next.

Oliver decided he better take the next step. "Well, tomorrow will come up soon enough. I have a few more things to take care of, and…the rest of you need to pack for our trip. I'll see you all tomorrow at the airport at noon." Unsure of what to do, he cast one last look over his loved ones. "Well, I better get going."

Another silence followed him as his teammates and sister watched him leave. Diggle broke the silence and said, "Well, we better get going too. Let me walk you three to your cars."

The women gathered their belongings and they all walked out without saying another word.

Felicity said nothing on the trip home. She had nothing to say. Her mind, usually so chatty and talkative, remained numb until Digg had dropped her off. She walked into her home after unlocking the door, dropped her purse in the entryway, and numbly made her way to the couch.

She sank into the cushions, her head in her hands, rocking back and forth, desperately reviewing every single aspect, once again, to find an answer out of this stupid, stupid situation in which they found themselves. Why, oh why, must these things continue to happen to them? Now, when she had finally decided who she really wanted to be with.

After Ray's declaration of love in the hospital, and her mother's pep talk, Felicity had resolved to talk to Oliver, to insist they give a relationship a chance. But, the shit hit the fan, and she never got the opportunity. By golly, she wasn't going to let him go this time without talking to him.

They were all leaving tomorrow on Ra's' private jet. Once Roy was…_resurrected, _the rest of the Arrow team would leave Nanda Parbat to return back to Starling. Without the Arrow. Without _Oliver_.

Without much self-awareness, Felicity suddenly found herself grabbing her purse and keys and rushing out the door. She got into her car, drove to Oliver and Thea's loft, and found herself at their door without stopping to really think through what she was about to do.

Thea opened the door. She didn't seem surprised to see Felicity there. "Come in. He's in his bedroom." Thea gave Felicity a watery smile. "I'm going to…I'm going to stay at Laurel's." She patted Felicity on the arm. "Be good to each other." Thea rushed away, but not before Felicity heard a strangled sob as she grabbed her coat and purse and left

Felicity turned towards the back of the loft, took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. If this was the only night they would get, by golly she was going to make sure they indeed got it. She approached Oliver's bedroom door, paused, then knocked. At Oliver's answer, she slowly opened the door.

Oliver was sitting on the edge of his bed, back to the door. He turned around slowly and saw her. Meeting Oliver's eyes, Felicity slowly approached him and began to speak her half-rehearsed speech.

"I have loved you, I think, since the moment in my cubicle when you brought me that damn laptop. I watched you be in doomed relationships, one after another, and wish it were me you were with. But I thought it was…unthinkable. Truly, I did think that. But, one day, you said you loved me. And I believed you. Even though you said it was only an act for Slade, I knew differently. Then, miracle of miracles, you asked me for a date. It was truly magical…until a damn bomb had to interrupt us. I mean, we didn't even get to order our meal. What was up with that, anyway?"

Oliver was about to say something, but Felicity placed a finger on his lips. "Oliver, please let me finish." Oliver looked into her beautiful blue eyes and nodded. "Then you told me you loved me again before the duel. The damn duel. Damn Ra's, and your stubborn, stupid self-sacrificing nature! You left before I could answer you back. But it would've hurt too much if I had said it back to you then. You were leaving. You weren't going to stay, no matter what I said."

"You know I would've stayed. I told you I would do anything if it were you doing the asking."

"No. No, you wouldn't. Maybe at first, you would've tried. But…eventually you would've gone. Because….you're _you_."

Oliver thought it over, and recognized it for the insight it was. He looked up again for her to continue.

"Like I told you, I expected you to be different when you returned from the 'dead'. Miraculously you were back. Alive. You weren't dead, as that damn Merlyn told us. I thought you and I would finally get together. Instead, you went off with the man responsible for almost getting you killed. Who did kill Sara."

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are." Felicity cupped his cheek with her gentle hand. "I shouldn't have gone into all that, because we don't have the time. However, cutting to the chase, you keep pushing me away, denying yourself, for what? For your mission, for the city? And now? Now you're sacrificing yourself yet again for everyone _but_ us. You and me. Don't you think _we_ finally deserve at least a modicum of happiness?"

Felicity knelt in front of Oliver and took both his hands. "I do. I think we _both_ deserve it. And I think…I think we should…we should make this last night of your being Oliver Queen the night where…where we…" Oliver didn't think her blush could get redder, but it did.

Oliver gently tugged on her hands, raising her up. As she stood there, looking at him, he slowly let go of her hands and reached up. He slowly took off her glasses, searching her eyes for any ounce of doubt. She slowly nodded her head. He leaned over, placed her glasses gently on the nightstand.

"If you're sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Oliver said softly, "I can't make you any promises. I don't know what's ahead for me."

"I know."

As Oliver was about to say something else, Felicity again placed a finger on his lips. "Just for one night, one moment in time, let's pretend there's nothing else except you and me in this moment. Loving each other like we should've done all along."

Felicity looked into Oliver's eyes, brought her hands up and raked her fingers through his hair. "Kiss me," she said, in a husky, lower voice.

Oliver looked at the beautiful woman in front of him. She represented all which was good and light and wonderful in this world. Everything he had spent three years telling himself he didn't deserve. He knew they shouldn't be together but suddenly he couldn't stand it any longer. He wanted to be with her. He wanted a life _with_ her. They could live a lifetime in one night. If one night was all they were given, it would be enough. He would make it be enough. Somehow. But if there were any chance he could come back to her…he resolved he would.

They kissed, and kissed again, and Felicity thought she could crawl within his kisses and live there forever. As they kissed, she barely registered her top being taken off. She helped him take off his top, with hardly any interruption in their rushed, hurried kisses. Without any volition on her part, she jumped into his arms, legs around his waist, as he carried her over to the head of the bed.

As Oliver lowered her onto the bed, a part of her brain was screaming excitedly about the dream becoming true. She acknowledged it, but then quickly lost herself in the feelings the wonderful man in front of her was bringing out in her. In this one night, they truly could love enough for a lifetime.

Later, as they laid intertwined, she listened to his light snores. She took immense pleasure in having tired out the man with incredible stamina. _It truly must be due partly due to the salmon ladder._ She smiled at the continued existence of her dirty mind coming up with oh so interesting ways to say things. She sighed in contentment. It had truly been as wonderful as she had dreamed, more than she dared to hope.

Felicity snuggled deeper into his arms and felt him tighten his grip on her in his sleep. She sighed again, and gave herself up to sleep and happy dreams. Until she felt light kisses covering her from head to toe.

Oliver stopped as he noticed her eyes fluttering open. "Good morning."

"You sure know a wonderful way to wake a girl up," Felicity murmured with a sleepy smile on her lips.

"I hated to, but we need to discuss something."

A lump made itself known in the bottom of her stomach. Felicity dreaded what this discussion would entail. But she knew they couldn't avoid it. At least she thought he knew what he was going to say. She was wrong.

"I've been thinking…when we get to Nanda Parbat…I…I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay. With me." He met her eyes with all the honesty he had shining in his eyes. "When the others return to Starling, I don't want you to go with them."

Felicity's eyes flew wide open, her mouth gaped wide, and she was speechless. Never would she thought Oliver would say something like this to her. Super-protective, self-sacrificing, building-up-walls-and-not-letting-them-fall man he was, who would've thought he would actually realize nothing should prevent them from being together.

Felicity swallowed hard and asked, "Are you sure?"

One of his beautiful smiles she especially loved crossed his face. "No, I'm not sure of anything. Except that I'm tired of running away from the idea of us because I'm afraid of losing you. I can't do it anymore."

"You realize this is opposite…"

"Of everything I am? Of everything I've always said, always claimed I believed? Yes, I know that. It does go against every overprotective bone in my body, but…I don't care. And…" He took a shaky breath, and Felicity caught an uncertain look pass over his face. "I think we should get married before we leave today."

"What?"

Oliver sat up. "This isn't the way I would've wanted to propose. Not the way at all, but I figure the only way to keep you safe is to bring you with me. The only way to ensure you would be allowed to stay there with me is for us to get married."

"Are you afraid Ra's would disapprove?"

"It has crossed my mind. I don't want to ask him, to give him the opportunity to deny us this, but…I figure if he really doesn't want me to do this, he will stop us at the justice of the peace."

Felicity nodded, not able to argue with his logic, no matter how cockeyed it was. _What a crazy life I have begun to lead._

"What about blood tests? And any other barriers to marrying immediately?"

"I would worry about such things, if my fiancée weren't the best computer hacker in the world." Oliver smiled at her and winked.

Felicity jumped out of bed, oblivious to her nakedness. "Oh! Why didn't I think of that? I'll get started on it while you call the gang and tell them to meet us at the court house."

Oliver watched her go to her purse to get her tablet with a smile on his face. Even though he was scared to death of what might be ahead of them, he knew he would be better off with having his beautiful Felicity next to him. With her by his side, he felt he could conquer the world. Or at least Ra's and any of his evil plans.

**AN: Thank you again so much for reading! Hope you can take the time and let me know what you think of this, and hope you turn in the next chapter for the wedding, and the chapters to follow for the adventures in Nanda Parbat. I'm planning on a nice mix of adventure and romance in this story, so I hope all may enjoy it. If you are like me, you like your romance with the adventure and your adventure with the romance. **


	3. Chapter 3: Journey to Nanda Parbat

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for all the favs, reviews, and follows! Hope you enjoy this new chapter. Well, following episode 3x19, I guess I was wrong by who dies. But….I did have the idea of Thea being the one who dies AFTER I started this story. I was torn as to which way the show would go. But I am glad I am writing this story. However, I was correct as to how Oliver decides to become Ra's. So….partial points? Ha!**

Oliver was able to contact all their friends and Thea to tell them of their plans and to bring their travel luggage to the courthouse. Understandably, they didn't have the time to get Felicity's mother to Starling to attend the wedding. Felicity made the difficult decision not to inform her mother of any of their plans at this time. Instead, she wanted to wait and see what their life in Nanda Parbat would be like, before she contacted her mother.

While Felicity was distracted with her hacking into public records, Oliver placed a call to his banker. He described the ring he had chosen to give to Felicity, and requested his banker to have it be delivered to the courthouse. The ring was the perfect choice for his bride, just as dainty and fiery as Felicity often was. At the center was an emerald, surrounded by diamonds, set in a delicate gold setting. It was his grandmother's wedding ring, and Oliver knew Felicity would love it.

Despite Oliver's worries, there were no interruptions, kidnap attempts, or League appearances to disrupt their day. They all reached the courthouse without difficulty or delay. Diggle served as best man, and Laurel was Felicity's maid of honor. Sara was the perfect baby secure in her mother's arms, as Lyla and Thea sat together and happily watched the ceremony, despite the somber undertones as to the reason for the rushed ceremony.

Even though it wasn't the wedding of her dreams, all of Felicity's regrets fell away when she looked into the beautiful blue eyes of her new husband. All of their friends reassured them they had never attended a more beautiful wedding. Even though it was in the courthouse, it was heartfelt with the added touch of their own vows.

After the ceremony, as they made their way around town to their favorite formal restaurant for a wedding luncheon, Oliver kept an eye out for any black-garbed assassins. None were to be seen. However, he doubted it meant they weren't there. Oliver knew better than to delude himself that he wasn't under the continuous scope of the LOA, like he was certain he had been for most of the past seven months. Too bad he hadn't been aware of such scrutiny before. Perhaps he could've prevented all of this. However, he also doubted he could've changed anything leading up to this moment anyway.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

After they ate, the suddenly somber group made their way to the airport. They boarded the plane and settled into their seats while observing the three LOA assassins seating in the last row. Diggle, Thea and Laurel took seats in the middle row, leaving the first row to the newlyweds.

Felicity looked around the plane. Registering the presence of the LOA assassins, she was surprised not to see Ra's. She leaned over to Oliver and asked, "I thought you said Ra's would also be on the plane. 

"No, he has his own plane. He left earlier this morning."

Trying for levity, she said, "Not exactly how I pictured our honeymoon flight to be."

"Me neither." Oliver looked down at her, and Felicity's breath was taken away by the love shining in his eyes fighting for prevalence over the fear she also saw in them.

Felicity grabbed his hand and pressed the back of it to her lips. "Please don't worry, Oliver. We will be okay."

Oliver gave a little wry smile with a grimace. "I know. I just can't help worry though."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't." Felicity gave her husband a wry glance and a shrug of her shoulders.

Oliver stretched his long legs out in front of him. "I suppose we should try to get some rest."

Felicity silently nodded her head, acknowledging the wisdom of the suggestion. She snuggled into his side, and gave a satisfied sigh as his arms enveloped her into him, despite the armrest in between them. Oliver tightened his arms around her, relishing her presence in spite of the continued fears. He told himself there was nothing more he could do at the moment, quieted his mind, and gave himself to sleep as well.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

The party from Starling City made their way through Ra's' fortress upon their arrival. At a discreet distance behind the group, four guards carried the coffin containing Roy. Felicity tried not to think about it, but she still was very aware of how creepy it was. She instead tried to force herself to only think about the happy thought that Roy would be joining them soon.

Another weird thing to get used to, was the mystical passage of time while in Nanda Parbat. Oliver had explained to them, while on the plane, that time passed much more slowly while in Nanda Parbat compared with the outside world. _Talk about the wildest jet lag ever._ So, even though it took them fifteen hours to get to Nanda Parbat, only seven hours had passed in Nanda Parbat itself, making it 7pm as they were walking through the castle.

As they walked down the corridors of the castle, Felicity took in all the sights. To her, it reminded her of all the medieval shows she had ever watched. The stone walls, the torches lining their way, the guards interspersed sporadically who stood at attention as they passed. She whispered to Oliver, "Maybe it's a good thing your wife has a thing for medieval shows. I can tell you a thing or two about tradition. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

Oliver rolled his eyes, gave her a small grin and her hand a small squeeze. "Never change, Felicity."

They were led to an intricately carved door which a guard dressed in red finery opened for them. Felicity couldn't contain a gasp as they entered a huge room, with high ceilings and luxurious carpeting. Her eyes then followed the red carpet on the floor to what appeared to be a throne on a raised platform, with an imposing man dressed in long robes sitting on it. She felt Oliver stiffen next to her, and realized that this must be Ra's. She swallowed, attempting to dislodge the fear suddenly threatening to overcome all of her senses.

Diggle, Laurel, and Thea were behind them, as they walked towards the imposing man.

"Welcome, welcome. Come in, come closer. It is time for us all to become better acquainted."

Felicity felt Oliver hesitant for the slightest moment, but successfully hid it within his confident walk. He led the group down the carpet towards Ra's.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Diggle. And who are these beautiful women accompanying you and Mr. Diggle, Mr. Queen?"

Felicity's skin crawled at the false politeness she felt rolled off Ra's tongue with his words.

Letting go of Felicity's hand, Oliver turned and brought Thea and Laurel alongside him. "This is Laurel Lance, Sara's sister, and Thea Queen, my sister."

"And the beautiful blonde at your side with a lovely ring on her finger?"

Oliver prevented an eye roll. _As if you don't know._ Keeping his voice even, he stated, "This is Felicity Queen. My wife."

Despite the life-threatening situation they were in, Felicity gloried in the thrill she felt at the words _Felicity Queen_. It didn't seem real, but it was. Unfortunately all of this was, the good with the bad. And the scary. The awfully, big bad scary. She gulped and worried about having said it aloud. Getting no reaction from anyone, she gave a small relieved sigh. _I must not have. Whew!_

"It is very nice to meet all of you. I finally meet the women who have made Mr. Queen the man he is today."

Felicity saw Laurel about to react, but Oliver put a hand upon her arm. Laurel looked at Oliver, and they exchanged a look before Oliver returned his attention to Ra's and waited for his next statement.

"And I see you have decided to bring the woman you love, following my advice."

Oliver wasn't able to stop the scoff leaving his throat. "Your _advice_? What do you mean?"

"Because, now that you've given up the silly notion of the Arrow, you can have the woman you love without worrying about the consequences."

"You sound as if you manipulated me into marrying Felicity?" Oliver suddenly got the impression Ra's was manipulating him on many different levels, throughout this entire time. He was afraid he hadn't been aware of all the scheming that had gone on behind the scenes for them to arrive at this moment.

Ra's lifted a hand, turning the palm upwards and gave a sideways shrug. "A person could say that, I suppose."

Oliver registered the gasps escaping from his team's lips.

"However, to complete the ceremony and become the true Heir, you must be married first. So I am very pleased you were able to select a bride for yourself. It makes things more…acceptable for you, I suppose."

Before she could stop herself, Felicity asked, "What would've you done if we didn't get married? You would have actually force him into a loveless marriage? What is this, the sixteenth century?"

"No, our traditions actually go back to the thirteenth century," Ra's said, with a straight face.

Felicity gasped in surprise as she realized she once again spoken her thoughts without consideration. She turned to Oliver, who was suddenly at her side again, her eyes wide with fear. _Did I just get our heads chopped off? _Oliver gave her a little nod and smile, squeezing her hand for encouragement. He then looked back up at Ra's.

"As my wife has expressed in her usual charming way, we are taken aback by your reaction to the news of our marriage."

"It is a good thing I have become familiar with how Ms. Smoak, I mean Mrs. Queen, expresses herself." Ra's looked at each member of the group individually, then said, "There will be time to become better acquainted later. We now have a life ceremony to prepare for." He clapped his hands suddenly, and four more soldiers appeared. "As we prepare the Pit and the body for the ceremony, please take the time to refresh yourselves after your long journey. My guards will bring you to your guest rooms now and will gather you again once we are ready to begin."

Oliver felt dismissed, and he had a hunch he was going to have to become accustomed to that feeling often. He didn't like it in the least. He and his friends were led down one of the hallways, and one after another each member was shown into a room, with a guard taking position outside its door. Finally Oliver and Felicity were shown to the last one.

As they entered, a gasp fell from Felicity's lips. It was simply beautiful, with red and gold velvet drapes on the windows, the carpeting a beautiful shade of lighter crimson. The bed…the bed was _huge._ Even though she was now a married woman, Felicity felt her face heat up with memories of the night before. She heard her husband's laughter next to her.

"I know what you are thinking about, Mrs. Queen," Oliver said as he gathered his wife into his arms. "But I don't think we have the time to do anything about it right now." He nuzzled his chin into the top of her head, relishing the softness of her hair.

Felicity reluctantly left Oliver's arms and looked around the room. She was only slightly surprised to see their luggage sitting near the door. Walking over to them, she picked up her cosmetic bag and said, "Let me see what I can do to remove the rigors of airplane flight from my face. I will be right back."

Oliver was about to say she hardly needed to change anything, but she had moved too quickly into the bathroom. He sat on the bed, rested his arms on his knees, and lowered his head into his hands. For only a minute he allowed himself to feel the fear which threatened to come screaming out of his body. Gathering his courage, Oliver took a cleansing breath and let it out slowly. _I can do this. I _will _do this. And we will be all right. _

**AN: Thank you again for reading. If you may, please consider leaving me a review. Like it has been said, it is the only payment fanfiction writers receive. Come back again next time and see what is in store for our favorite couple!**


	4. Chapter 4: Roy's Resurrection

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you again for all the great reviews, follows and favs. I do appreciate it. Sorry for the delay. **

**One note. It has never been formally established on the show that Nanda Parbat is in Tibet, like in the comics, but that's where I'm placing NP. Thus, the time it takes to get to NP is different than what it is on the show. (As far as I can tell, we are led to believe NP and Starling are only hours apart). Per Wikipedia, "****time moves differently in Nanda Parbat; one can leave the city to find less time has passed in the outside world".**

**Thus said, I updated the previous chapter with a little blurb regarding the time. Sigh. Don't know how I had forgotten to address it before. **

After an hour, a knock on the door preceded the entry of the guard outside the door. "The master says it is time for the ceremony to begin."

Oliver and Felicity exchanged a look, and Oliver offered Felicity an arm. She took it, and he led her into the hallway. Their friends and family were also entering the hallway from their rooms. Oliver gave them a small smile and preceded them down the hallway, following one of the guards. Several other guards took the end as the rest of Oliver's group fell into the procession.

Felicity let a sigh escape from her and felt Oliver drop her arm and snake his own around her waist, then pulling her close to him. She looked up to see a stony expression on his face as he kept his glance straight ahead.

They were led down a different hallway, Felicity noted, than when they first arrived, and they walked into a huge room having high ceilings, with what looked like a fancy "natural-looking" hot tub at the far end. Candles lined a path leading to the tub, with more candles surrounding it as well as more along the walls. The object which drew her attention, however, was the stretcher lying next to the tub. On it lay Roy, dressed in a gray tunic with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked so peaceful lying there, for a moment Felicity forgot he wasn't simply sleeping. Ropes went from the stretcher to the ceiling, connected to pulleys. Dozens of League of Assassins soldiers lined up along the path, circling the tub.

Ra's approached them as they walked towards the tub. A woman with a veil on her head, covered in black lace and a tunic, followed him with Maseo on his other side. The group stopped as Team Arrow met them.

"Welcome. During this most sacred ceremony we ask for no talking. After a blessing, the body will be lowered into the Pit. What usually happens next is resurrection. It could take five minutes, it could take hours. The body usually rises from the waters very violently. I wish to prepare you for what you will see. It is not very easy to observe. Any one of you not able to stand watching it may wait in the small room adjacent to this room." As he said the last sentence, Ra's met the eyes of Felicity, Thea and Laurel.

Meeting his eyes, Felicity was determined not to show this man any fear. How dare he insinuate she, or the other two women, couldn't bear to watch the proceedings? She looked over at Thea and Laurel, who also appeared to have straightened their shoulders and their postures as well. Felicity returned her gaze to Ra's, who met hers with a small smile on his lips and a knowledgeable light in his eyes. She then looked at Oliver beside her, who met her eyes with a question in his. Giving him a smile and a comforting squeeze of his fingers, she stated, "No, we're all okay with staying, Ra's."

Ra's extended his arm to the left of the proceedings, away from the stretcher and its set-up. "Please stand over there. Do not stand too close to the edge of the tub, do not touch the water, and please do not allow the water to touch you during the ceremony."

Felicity looked at Oliver and nudged her head toward the area Ra's had indicated. Oliver gave a little nod and led the group over there. Instrumental music which had a slight Middle-Eastern twang to it began to play, as six guards marched over to Roy and lined up on either side.

The priestess took a step forward, raised her arms above the stretcher, and begin chanting in Arabic. She stopped, approached the head of the stretcher, took what looked like a small bottle, tipped in on her finger, and applied it to Roy's forehead and the back of both his hands. The priestess raised her hands again, resumed her chanting, slowly walking backwards away from the stretcher. She then lowered them, bowed to the body on the stretcher, straightened up, looked at the guards, and slowly nodded her head.

The guards each grabbed the rope in front of them and began to pull on it. Felicity watched as the stretcher holding Roy was raised into the air. The crane then shifted towards the circle of water until the stretcher was in the center of the pit. At the nod of one of the guards standing on the other side of the pit, the other guards slowly lowered the stretcher. As Roy went under the water, there was a strange hissing sound which startled Felicity momentarily. The water began to bubble up, and Felicity swallowed nervously. Her other hand was taken in a grip, and she turned to find Thea next to her. Felicity gave Thea's hand a gentle squeeze, and smiled at her encouragingly. Thea blinked through tears and her lips moved as she seemed to bite her lips.

An eternity seemed to pass, but Felicity knew it was only minutes. Suddenly the bubbles ceased, and Felicity's breath caught in her throat. Oliver's hand tightened around her own, and she bit her lip to ensure no sound would escape.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of water from the Pit, and they watched as Roy jumped out of the water and landed outside the borders of the Pit. Crouching, Roy looked around the room with an empty expression in his eyes. He seemingly didn't recognize anybody standing there watching him. Three attendants cautiously approached Roy, one holding a robe open and circled behind him. The other two attendants went to either side of Roy, apparently ready to grab Roy's arms if necessary. The robe was placed over Roy without incident, with no change in the blank expression on Roy's face. They raised him to a standing position and led to the side of the Pit, where a dry stretcher waited for him. He meekly laid down on it.

Realizing she no longer was holding Thea's hand and feeling Thea about to approach Roy, Felicity grabbed her arm, caught her eye, and shook her head 'no'. Keeping ahold of Thea's hand, Felicity turned back to watch as the attendants carried Roy through a door on the far side of the room.

Felicity felt Oliver's attention go towards Ra's, and followed suit. The rest of the team waited as well, turning to watch Ra's' slow approach towards the group.

"Thus ends the Ceremony of Rebirth. The recipient will now rest for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow morning you will then be allowed to see him. We will assess how he is doing, and after that determine the time of departure for most of you." Turning to Oliver, Ra's said, "I've fulfilled my end of our arrangement. I suggest you begin to make peace with your end of the bargain." Ra's turned smartly on his heels, followed by his guards, and they left.

Oliver and Felicity exchanged looks. Felicity wondered what they were to do next. Soldiers stepped up, followed by Maseo who said, "Please follow the guards. You are to wait in your rooms."

Oliver was about to question whether they could all gather in one room for a visit, when he was silenced by the look on Maseo's face. "Please, Oliver." Maseo said softly.

Oliver straightened his back, grasped Felicity's hand without looking down, and began to walk towards the exit of the room, followed by his friends. He reluctantly accepted the fact he wouldn't be allowed to talk with his team any more tonight.

This time, they were shuffled into their rooms all at once without ceremony. Oliver headed to the bed, sat down, and put his head into his hands.

Something told Felicity not to touch him. Instead, she stood beside him by the bed, hands at her sides, looking down at the man she loved in pain. "Oliver? What can I do?" she asked softly.

Dropping his hands, Oliver looked at Felicity. "I don't know." Taking a breath, he said, "All of your lives depend upon me staying strong. But I don't know if I can do this. I…I just don't know, Felicity. I don't know what Ra's has planned, and it scares me to death."

Sitting down next to him and taking his hands in hers, Felicity looked into Oliver's eyes. "We'll get through this. We have before, and we will again."

"Don't you get it? Slade, Malcolm, and Amanda were nothing compared to what Ra's could do. Has done." Again, Oliver lowered his head into his hands and said softly, "I so hope I wasn't wrong in asking you to stay here with me."

Not able to stand it any longer, Felicity lost her cool. "Now, look here, Mister! You will stop that right now, stop the self-recrimination. I, _me_, not you, decided to come here with you. _I_ decided to become part of Team Arrow in the first place. _I_ decided to let myself fall in love with you." Smiling a little crookedly, she continued, "Well, I could've tried a lot harder not to fall in love with you." Becoming serious, she said, "Just as I have 'allowed' you to live your life the way you want, being all self-sacrificing, _you_ have to allow _me_ to live my life. Wanting, choosing, to live it with _you_."

Oliver looked at the woman beside him, wondering again how he could've been so lucky to capture the heart of the most beautiful, the most intriguing woman ever. He had come so close too many times to screwing up the best thing he ever could have, he knew it was only because of Felicity's tenacity which enabled them to be together now. Looking down at her, he gave into the temptation to kiss her. He attempted to put all of his love into that one kiss, to make it the most beautiful kiss they had ever shared. When they broke apart for air, the look in her eyes told him he might've just succeeded.

"What was that for?" Felicity managed to whisper.

"Just wanted to express how much your love and support mean to me," Oliver said, hugging her close to him and placing a sweet kiss on her forehead.

"We _will_ get through this, Oliver."

Swallowing, attempting to bring sincerity to his voice, Oliver said, "I know." He hoped he convinced her, even though he wasn't convincing himself. "I suppose we should get ready for bed. I don't know about you, but I am very tired indeed."

Before she could stop herself, Felicity said, "Well, there is the unbelievable jet lag here."

"Yes, indeed," Oliver said, smiling at his adorable wife.

They got ready for bed in silence. Felicity, for once, didn't know what else to say. Suddenly, she also was overcome by such a bone-weary exhaustion she had never experienced before. However, she did feel better with the observing of Oliver's wonderful physique as he changed his clothes.

Meanwhile, Oliver questioned Ra's' decision not allowing Team Arrow to spend the time waiting for Roy together. He was certain it was so they couldn't plan any escape attempt. As if he would risk the welfare of his team like that. However, he would've liked to have had the opportunity to check with them, to make sure they were handling all the recent changes in their lives.

Oliver smiled as his wife joined him in the king-sized bed. He wondered briefly if they were indeed too tired for anything else but sleep. But when Felicity entered his arms willingly, Oliver forgot his weariness in his love for her. Not knowing what was ahead of them, ahead for him, Oliver wanted to enjoy one last night with Felicity. Despite fearing the possibility of hidden cameras, Oliver and Felicity gave into the temptation of making love before falling asleep in each other's arms.

**AN: I sure hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter should be up sooner than later…I have that one almost written. (Could have added to it, but it would have made this chapter way too long). As always, you sure would make my day if you would leave a review. Thanks as always for reading and enjoying!**


	5. Chapter 5: Seeing Roy

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: I'm glad you're sticking with this story, even though I suppose the last chapter, and this chapter, isn't as exciting. "Filler" chapters I suppose. Thank you for reading, reviewing, the favs and the follows. So without further ado…here's the next chapter. **

The next morning, they were awakened by a knock on the door. Felicity gave a little squeak and hid under the covers. Oliver shrugged and grabbed his jeans, putting them on as he made his way to the door. Opening it, two servants were revealed, pushing a food cart. Oliver stepped aside to allow them to enter. They rolled the cart into the room, and without looking at Felicity turned and left just as quietly.

Forgetting herself in her sudden appetite, Felicity leaped out of bed, not bothering to cover up her nakedness, and began to remove the covers off of plates. It seemed as though the whole range of breakfast foods was made available to them, from cold cereal, to eggs in all forms, to bacon and sausage. Oliver watched her, smiling, as she piled food on a plate. Looking up, with a slice of bacon midway to her mouth, Felicity caught Oliver watching her and shrugged.

"I'm hungry." Smiling coquettishly, she said, "Someone completely wore me out last night." Being around him made Felicity more comfortable with her nakedness. _When did I become such an outrageous flirt?_

Wiggling his eyebrows, Oliver said, "Would you be interested in continuing with round 3 then?"

Felicity smiled sadly and said, "As much as I hate to turn down such an intriguing offer, we better not." She walked over and put on a robe. "You need to eat, and we don't know how much time we have before we are 'summoned' again."

Oliver's lips twitched at Felicity's apparent distaste of the word 'summoned'. Of course he wouldn't be the only one who was resentful about the way they were being treated. Shaking himself back to the present, he walked over to the cart, grabbed a plate and began to choose some breakfast for himself.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. I'm not sure what this day will all entail, so we should eat as we are able to."

They ate in companionable silence, simply enjoying being in each other's company, if only for a short time. They were able to finish their breakfast before another knock revealed a soldier this time. "The Master has said you now can visit your friend."

Oliver and Felicity walked into the hallway and again was met with their friends. Thea rushed to Felicity's side and grasped her hand. Felicity gave her an encouraging smile. Laurel and Diggle joined them, seeming to need to huddle around the couple to provide support. They weren't given much time to do much then to acknowledge each other before they were led down several different corridors in the opposite direction from which they had walked down following their arrival yesterday. They didn't stop until they approached a room with a guard on either side. The guards in front of the group joined their colleagues beside the door, and one indicated for the group to enter.

Oliver led the way into the room. They found the room similar to the ones they had stayed in, with the luxurious furnishings and red drapes, but the drapes were drawn, and the room itself was lit by candlelight. All of their eyes were drawn to the bed across from the doorway, and the inert form lying on it.

A gasp was heard, as Thea was unable to restrain herself any longer. Roy looked so deathly pale and still, she was uncertain whether he was truly alive. She rushed to the bedside and ran her hands over Roy's face and upper body. To her relief, she found him breathing.

"He's still breathing, he seems to be only sleeping."

"Of course he is still alive; he's only been resting. We shall now bring him out of the slumber." A robed attendant informed them, and approached the bedside. She opened a small vial and waved it under Roy's nose. He stirred, then sat up abruptly, just as Oliver reached his sister's side and pulled her away from the bed to prevent her from being struck by Roy's flailing arms.

Roy looked around the room, his eyes blank at first but then his gaze fell upon Thea.

"Thea!" Looking around the room, Roy asked, "Where are we? What's going on?" Seeing all of his team members around him and not remembering the reason, he asked, "Why is everyone here?"

Oliver spoke up. "What do you remember?"

Roy hesitated, a look of confusion crossed his face followed by realization. "The jail fight. But I…I…."

"Yes, you died. We brought you here to Nanda Parbat, where there is a magical pit which brought you back to life."

Searching out Felicity, Roy asked, "Are you sure this isn't all a plot for one of your TV shows, Blondie?"

Oliver shook his head but rejoiced in the fact Roy appeared to be himself, with his characteristic sense of humor intact. No matter how cornball it was. "It seems you are okay, then."

Roy was quiet, stretching out his neck, testing his limbs, then said, "Yep, I think I'm okay." Remembering the knife wound, he looked down, pulled up the tunic, and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Not even a mark. Wow, that Pit does do miracles, huh?"

Embarrassed laughter broke out from the group of onlookers. They were each having difficulty completely processing what they indeed were seeing. The once dead young man was again cracking jokes like he used to and acting like nothing was wrong. Or different. Or strange.

Oliver interrupted the moment. "If you feel up to it, Roy, I think there might be a few people who need to give you a hug."

"I wouldn't turn that down. I think I need some hugs as well. I can barely take all of this in myself."

Oliver offered his hand, but Roy pulled him into a hug. Felicity was next, unable to hide her happy tears. "I was so worried, Scarecrow," she said.

After Roy had released Felicity, Diggle also offered his hand first, then took Roy in for a hug. "Glad you're back again with us, even though you may be a pain in the butt at times."

"Yah, you love me, admit it."

Laurel looked at Roy with tears in her eyes as well. "I didn't know what I was going to do without you, partner."

Roy enveloped her into a big hug. "Glad you don't have to find out. I still need to keep an eye on you."

Finally, it was Thea's turn. She returned to his side, somewhat cautiously, and Roy grabbed her hands. "I'm sorry I worried you," he whispered.

"I didn't know how I was going to survive without you." Thea was about to continue, but she started to cry. Roy enveloped her in a hug, which made her cry even harder. Roy, sensing something wrong, pulled out of the embrace and raised her head by lifting her chin. "What's wrong?"

Thea looked at Oliver, worrying her lower lip, unsure whether they should tell him at this moment. Oliver closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and took a breath. He then looked at Roy and said, "I had to make a deal for us to use the Pit."

Roy looked at Felicity, seeing the worried look on her face, at Diggle with his unreadable glance, then at Laurel, who shrugged uncomfortably. Turning to Thea he asked, "What does he mean?"

Thea took in a deep breath, let it out, and squared her shoulders. She met Roy's worried eyes. "Oliver agreed to be Ra's' Heir. He'll be staying here in Nanda Parbat when we go back home."

Roy looked at Oliver, his mouth dropping open. He quickly shut it, shook his head, and mumbled, "No, no."

Oliver placed a hand upon Roy's shoulder. "It needed to be done. It was inevitable. Ra's wasn't going to stop making my life miserable until I agreed."

"No, Oliver, you can't do this. You just can't."

Oliver shook his head. "Roy, there's nothing we can do. The…the deal has been made. Thea gets you back. You can be with her, settle down, have a family if that's what you two decide." Swallowing, he continued. "Whatever you decide, you will be alive to do it."

"But she wouldn't have you."

Oliver straightened up, with his blank look on his face the team always knew hid his pain. "There was no other choice to make."

Felicity as well as the other members flashed back to her encounter with the Count last year, when Oliver said the same thing to her that night. Again, Oliver made the only choice he thought he could. The enormity of Oliver's sacrifice was being felt by everyone in the room.

The awkward silence was then interrupted by a knock on the door. Several LOA guards entered, followed by Ra's. Roy's eyes widened at the sight of this unknown man, dressed in elegant robes, walking like he owned the place. _Guess he does, _Roy thought, _if this is indeed Ra's himself_.

Oliver rose, straightening his posture, and met Ra's' gaze headlong. Ra's smiled slightly and said, "I trust you find Mr. Harper's health to be satisfactory."

Oliver stated, "It appears so." Clearing his throat, Oliver asked, "Are there any special instructions my family needs to be aware of in the following weeks of recovery for him?"

Ra's gave a slight smile and a small nod. "No, the only thing needed is rest for the next few days. If no significant personality changes become apparent in the first few days, then everything should be as they were for him."

Ra's approached Thea and Roy. "Are you feeling all right, my dear? You appear slightly pale," he said to Thea.

Oliver took a step forward, but Ra's held up a hand. "I mean no harm, Mr. Queen. I am merely concerned about how your sister is handling the return of her boyfriend from the dead."

Thea looked from Oliver to Ra's, then Oliver again. "While I'm glad and thankful Roy is okay, I still don't understand why you insist my brother stay here with you. Why would you want him, when he has a family to take care of in Starling?"

"Thea!" Oliver cried in alarm, before he could stop himself.

"Ah, Mr. Queen, it is perfectly understandable. You see, my dear, your brother made a deal with me. Now it is time for him to uphold his end of the bargain." Turning back towards the door, Ra's took several steps, then turned around to face Oliver again. "Your friends will be leaving within the hour. You may accompany them to the airstrip, but of course you and Mrs. Queen will return here after the plane takes off." Turning, Ra's met each of the other members' gaze in turn. "I now suggest all of you leave Mr. Harper to change into the more suitable set of clothes we have for him, and prepare to leave."

The group watched as Ra's and his men left the room. The silence was broken by Roy as he began to stutter his confusion. He was barely taking it all in when he recalled a name. "Mrs. Queen?" He looked at the three women, his gaze falling onto Felicity. "Blondie, did I miss something?"

Felicity felt a slight blush rise on her cheeks. "Um, yeah, sorry we couldn't wait for you, but Oliver and I got married before we left Starling."

"Wow, that's great, but how long was I asleep anyway? Seems like I missed a lot." The lightheartedness disappeared as Roy realized something. "Wait a minute. So…Oliver is to stay here, and…"

"I'm staying with him."

"Oliver's actually allowing this?"

Oliver gave a "humph" in disgust, but Felicity laughed. "Yeah, Roy, I was surprised as well. 'Old Grumpy Pants' actually realized he doesn't want to live without me and asked me to marry him and stay with him here."

While everyone else burst into anxious laughter, Felicity thought, _Great. My brain to mouth filter failed again. _ However, she also was glad to bring some lightness to the situation.

Hating to break up the camaraderie, but knowing time was short, Oliver said, "I think we should exit the room to allow Roy to get changed. Thea, I suppose you will want to stay and help him."

Thea nodded, and the rest of them left the room. She looked around, and observed a pile of clothes on the dresser behind her. Sorting through the clothes, she picked a T-shirt, jeans and boxer shorts and brought them over to Roy. Suddenly shy, she debated about handing them over to Roy. Roy smiled and reached for them.

"I can do it mostly myself. I'm not feeling too dizzy." Roy slipped on the shirt, and then slipped on the shorts and jeans. When ready, he stood up, balancing one arm on Thea for support. She pulled up the shorts and jeans for him, and blushing a little, zipped up the jeans. Sitting back down on the bed, Roy sighed.

"Are you okay?" Thea asked, concerned.

"Yeah, got a little dizzy after all. Are there shoes and socks over there?"

Thea rolled her eyes and turned to look under the rest of the clothes. Indeed there were a pair of shoes, Roy's size as well. Thea wondered as to how they had known the correct size. She brought them over and assisted Roy with putting them on.

As she busied herself with pulling the socks up his ankles, Roy asked, "So, Oliver and Felicity are really married?"

"Yes, it was simple and beautiful. Of course, when this is all over, we're going to throw them one big she-bang, though. If they think they got out of a Thea-planned celebration, they are sadly mistaken."

Roy smiled. Even though Thea had grown up a lot over the past year, some of the basics of her personality still remained. The party girl definitely was a part that remained.

Thea's face suddenly lost her smile. "I don't know what to do, Roy. Oliver is going to stay here, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Roy leaned over and whispered to Thea, "Don't worry. We will think of something."

Thea attempted a smile, grateful for Roy's attempting to lift her spirits. She couldn't bring herself to make an attempt, however, in agreeing with him.

**AN: Thanks again for reading. I promise, there are bigger and scarier things planned….just as soon as Team Arrow leaves. Stay tuned for the next chapters. If you wish, please leave a review. Just makes an aspiring author happier. And it is sooo truly appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6: Farewells & Surprises

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for all the favs, reviews and follows. Sorry it took me so long to get this out. Some of it just wasn't flowing like it should. Hope you enjoy this, as we get closer to the angsty stuff. **

As they waited for Roy and Thea, the rest of the group huddled together, suddenly uncertain as to what to say. The four guards still in their presence also inhibited their conversation as well.

"How did you sleep? Ok?" Oliver looked at Laurel and Diggle. Overwhelmed by the amount of things he really wanted to say to them, he instead chose a superficial topic.

Laurel grimaced at his attempt at conversation. She too was at a loss for words. Looking at the man, she marveled at the change from the boy she once knew. That 'Ollie' would never have sacrificed himself for anyone or anything. She suddenly realized how selfish she'd been, over the past year, never sitting down with Oliver after she found out his secret, to truly discover how such a change could've taken place. And sadly now she may never know.

Shaking herself out of such reflections, Laurel asked softly, "How are you?" She placed a tentative hand upon his arm.

For a moment Oliver let the mask slip, and Laurel saw the fear in his eyes. However, just as quickly, it disappeared and the fake smile Laurel knew oh so well appeared.

"I'm okay, Laurel. It'll all be okay."

Laurel was surprised to hear Diggle mumble, "I wish that sounded more convincing."

Oliver looked at Diggle, unclear as to how to respond. Felicity's knack at saying an inappropriate thing at the worst time kicked in. "Don't we all, Diggle. Don't we all." Meeting Oliver's glare, she responded, "Well, we do, Oliver. This isn't the best scenario in the world, you know."

Diggle decided to express his thoughts as well. "She's right, Oliver. It's all right to admit you're worried."

Oliver leaned towards Diggle. "Not really, John. Not here. Not now. What would it serve to admit my feelings with ears listening?"

Diggle shook his head and sighed. "Is that the real reason you wouldn't open up to us?" Taking a risk, he continued. "This might be the last chance to tell us what you need to tell us." Taking a breath, he continued. "Maybe some time you'll begin to learn it's okay to be vulnerable around your friends." He reached out and grabbed Oliver's shoulder for a squeeze, then quickly let go.

Oliver looked pointedly at one of the guards and said, "Perhaps I will, but now doesn't appear to be the right time."

"We don't have any other time but this."

At that moment, the door opened, and Thea poked her head out. "Do you think we could find a wheelchair somewhere? Roy is feeling okay, just weak. I don't think he will be able to walk all the way to the airplane."

A servant appeared with a wheelchair, which he wheeled into the room. Moments later, he appeared with Roy, who said with a self-conscious smirk, "I suppose we better get this show on the road."

As they fell in line and followed their guards out, Diggle could only hope Oliver would indeed be more open with Felicity in the upcoming days. He'd been proud of the young man and his growth over the past three years, but Oliver still had a long way to go. If only life-threatening events would stop occurring and allow him to take a breath once in a while. And allow his PTSD to heal. Diggle shook his head and followed the group out to the airplane.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

The group approached the waiting airplane. With each step they took, the feeling of unease settled even more upon the team. They reached the tarmac and Oliver stopped and turned to the group. He took his sister in his arms, and gave her a tight hug. "Take care of yourself, Thea. Never forget how much I love you."

Thea bit her lower lip to prevent herself from wailing. Looking down at Roy, sitting in the wheelchair, she said, "I know exactly how much you love me." She brushed the back of Roy's head softly, then turned back to her brother. "I shouldn't have let you do this."

"You didn't have a choice. None of us really had a choice." Clearing his throat, he said, "Ra's wasn't going to stop until I had accepted his offer." Turning to Roy, he grasped Roy's hand in a firm handshake. Roy carefully stood up and pulled Oliver into a hug. Oliver whispered in his ear, "Take good care of yourself and my sister. Thank you for being my friend."

Roy blinked back tears as he pulled away and said, "I don't know how I can ever thank you for what you've done. How can we leave you here?"

Oliver looked directly into his eyes. "Hear me, Roy, and hear me good. Don't try anything, all right? Felicity and I will be okay." Pausing for effect, he continued, in a more emphatic tone. "Everything _will_ be alright."

Oliver turned to Diggle. He started to speak, had to clear his throat, and began again. "I don't know what to say, John. How can I thank you for all you've done for us over the past three years? You've truly been a brother to me." He enveloped John in a hug and whispered, "Take care of yourself, Lyla and Sara."

Diggle pulled himself out of the hug, looked at Felicity, as she jumped into his arms. "How can I even live with myself for leaving you two here?"

Felicity whispered, "We'll be okay. We'll figure something out."

In spite of himself, Diggle said, "Why don't you two jump on the plane with us and we fly somewhere Ra's doesn't know about."

"Where could we go, John, where Ra's with all his resources couldn't reach? No, we have to see this through. Whatever it entails."

Oliver captured Diggle's gaze. "Please, Digg, trust me. Don't try anything rash, okay? Too many lives are at stake. I need to see this through, whatever it takes, and we can't afford any interference."

Digg gave a sigh. "I don't like this. Not one bit. A good soldier never leaves a comrade behind."

"You're not leaving us behind. It's just that…our assignments are now… different."

Diggle looked at Oliver with a frown on his face and shook his head. He wanted to say something else, anything else, but suddenly his mind was blank. He again looked at the slim blonde beside Oliver, and his heart broke. Felicity gave him another hug. "Dig, we'll be okay. Oliver has survived worse, remember."

Diggle seriously doubted whether that was true, for he feared they had only begun to see the type of evil Ra's was capable of.

Clearing his throat, Oliver turned to Laurel, who was trying to blink away tears. "Laurel, thank you for coming, and all you've done, especially these past months." Laurel nodded, and gave him a hug. Oliver held her tightly and whispered, "I'm so sorry, again, about Sara."

Pulling away, Laurel said, "You're to stop apologizing for that. It's time for us to put it behind us." Taking in their surroundings, Laurel said, "There are other, more important issues." Attempting to swallow the lump in her throat, she continued. "And don't you dare say this is goodbye, Oliver Queen. We will figure something out. We will. Like we've done in the past."

Oliver nodded, suddenly not trusting his voice as Laurel turned to Felicity and took her in her arms. "You take care of him, and you. I'm glad he has you to watch out for him." Felicity sniffled, and Laurel decided to lighten the mood. "After all, we all know who has the brains of the outfit."

Felicity gave a watery laugh as Oliver attempted to glare at her, but gave her a small grin and a nod.

One of the guards walked up to them. "It is time for the plane to leave."

Oliver sighed, and nodded. He and Felicity stepped back and allowed their family to board the plane. Thea looked back as she entered the plane, but the rest resolutely boarded the plane without another glance.

As he watched the plane take off, Oliver felt Felicity's small hand creep into his and give it a squeeze. He looked down at her, meeting her eyes, and swallowed as she attempted a brave smile. Without a word, they turned and followed the guards back to the Fortress.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Oliver and Felicity were brought back to the room where they had slept the previous night. One of the guards informed them their lunch would be brought to them in their room.

Oliver went over to the overstuffed couch in the small study and sunk himself into it. Both his mind and body were suddenly overcome with fatigue of which he had never experienced before. He marveled how, at the same time, the presence of the woman he loved both comforted and added to his worry.

Since she knew him so well, Felicity lost no time in addressing his concerns. "Oliver, I know you've grown as a person in that you actually agreed for me to remain here with you. However, I know what's going on in that brain of yours. Please, no second thoughts, okay? There's no other place I want to be than at your side, facing whatever there is to face. You need me as much as I need you. We will get through this. Remember, you are the Survival King, after all."

Oliver attempted to smile at her feeble joke, and Felicity acknowledged his attempt with one of her own. She joined him on the couch and he took her in his arms. He slowly rubbed patterns on her back, the action soothing himself as much as it did Felicity.

A knock on the door startled them out of their peaceful reflecting, and Oliver was about to get up when the door opened, revealing a servant wheeling in a food cart. He wheeled it to the small table in the corner of the room, nodded to Oliver, turned smartly, and left without a word.

"I suppose we should eat while the food's hot," Oliver said, cringing at the clichéd statement.

"I wonder what Ra's has planned for us the rest of the day. He didn't tell us anything, has he?"

"Yeah, I'm not too comfortable with that. Not at all. I thought he would've summoned us to join him for lunch."

Oliver then told Felicity of the meal he had shared with Ra's the night Ra's had made the offer to him. "It's when he first showed me the Lazarus Pit."

"Without giving you any indication of the evil ideas he was planning," Felicity said with a sneer to her lips.

Felicity removed the food cover and looked down at the appetizing combination of chicken, wild rice, and a fresh fruit and melon salad. She then looked up at Oliver, mouth open. "How did he know your favorite foods?"

Meeting her eyes, Oliver couldn't hide a grimace from her. "Could be a coincidence." Reaching for the wine glasses on the cart, Oliver handed one to Felicity. "Perhaps." Oliver couldn't shake the uneasiness he felt with the realization Ra's might know more about him than they had first realized.

Sipping the white wine, Felicity relished the familiar, comforting taste. She picked up the fork and took a bite of the chicken. Tasted good, but she expected nothing less. Realizing she was hungry, she began to eat in earnest.

They made conversation. Part of it flowed easily, part of it was awkward, despite everything between them. Suddenly Felicity began to feel…strange. She looked across at Oliver, who met her gaze with a puzzled look of his own.

"Felicity, I think…"

The world went dark.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Felicity rolled over and stretched. She didn't know what had awakened her, but she reached out for Oliver. Her hand only found an empty space. A cold empty space. She half-rose in bed and looked around, attempting to listen for any indication as to what Oliver was doing. Hearing nothing, she looked around the room. The sunlight coming in through the heavy drapes appeared to be brighter than she would've thought. A sense of unease came over her as she then remembered her last memory was of finishing lunch. In the other room.

Looking down, she realized she was still in the outfit she had been wearing earlier that day. At least she thought it was the same day.

Getting out of bed, she hurried into the other room. Empty. She didn't know why, but she got a cold chill. Her eyes darted quickly around the room, looking for the presence of a note. No note. Anywhere.

Something was trying to break through her frozen brain. Something wasn't quite right. Felicity shook her head, trying to clear the fuzziness in her brain and she didn't know why.

Her eyes widened as she finally remembered. Looking at her watch, she wasn't surprised to see the time was 5pm. Not mid-morning, which she had thought upon awakening. She tried to recall what the last thing she remembered was.

Lunch. Eating lunch, when suddenly things felt weird, and then went dark.

They were drugged. And now Oliver was missing.

**AN: Not good. Not good at all. Where is Oliver? Please let me know what you thought of this chapter with a review, it would mean the world to me. And perhaps make the muse write and post faster. Just saying. Thanks again for reading and following!**


	7. Chapter 7: Things Get Real

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Yeah, I think this is the quickest I have ever updated a story. I just couldn't wait. I am kinda proud of this part of the story, so I hope you'll enjoy it as well. If you can, let me know if you're enjoying this as well. Thanks ever so much! The following scenes occurred to me early in the writing of this story, so it has indeed been a long couple of months before I could share them with you. Enjoy!**

Previously:

_Something was trying to break through her frozen brain. Something wasn't quite right. Felicity shook her head, trying to clear the fuzziness in her brain and she didn't know why. _

_Her eyes widened as she finally remembered. Looking at her watch, she wasn't surprised to see the time was 5pm. Not mid-morning, which she had thought upon awakening. She tried to recall what the last thing she remembered was. _

_Lunch. Eating lunch, when suddenly things felt weird, and then went dark. _

_They were drugged. And now Oliver was missing. _

Felicity attempted to think rationally about this. Why did she suddenly panic because Oliver wasn't by her side, nor did he leave a note informing her where he went? And just because she had felt weird after lunch doesn't necessarily mean they had been drugged. Maybe they weren't drugged after all. Perhaps she had only fallen asleep because of all the stress of the past few days and Oliver had carried her to bed. She again rushed to the bedroom and looked around. Still finding nothing she rushed back into the study.

Flinging herself onto the sofa, Felicity attempted to get her rapid breathing under control. She closed her eyes and attempted to clear her mind of all anxiety. Opening them again when that didn't work, she made herself review everything she knew. She started with….lunch….then waking up mid-afternoon.

Nope. Any way she looked at it none of this looked good. Not at all.

She rushed to the door, flung it open and walked out into the hallway. Turning to the guard on her right, she demanded, "Where is he? Where is my husband?"

"Ma'am, I must ask you to return to your room." The man had taken a step back from her, but still presented an imposing sight to Felicity. She, however, wouldn't be deterred.

Using her loud, scary voice she asked, "No. Where. Is. My. Husband?"

"I cannot answer that."

"I demand I speak to Ra's right now," Felicity said, as she smartly turned and began to walk quickly down the hallway. She only walked five steps before she was grabbed by the arm.

"Mrs. Queen, you cannot do that."

Felicity, feeling anger she had never known, had the strength and the element of surprise in her favor to successfully pull her arm out of the man's grasp. "You do NOT tell me what to do. I demand…" swallowing hard, she forced herself to say the words showing respect of Ra's' position, "I demand an _audience_ with Ra's. Now."

Another guard approached the one Felicity was talking to and whispered in his ear. The man nodded and turned back to Felicity. "You may have an audience with him after all. Follow us."

She was quickly led through several hallways and into a room she hadn't been in before. Ra's was sitting at the end of the room, in a low-back chair. He rose as Felicity approached him.

"Where is he, Ra's? Where is Oliver?"

"He has begun his initiation."

Felicity tried to keep breathing without hacking. She met the eyes of the most evil man she'd ever known, and couldn't determine the meaning of the look within their dark brown depths. She forced out her next question.

"Initiation? What does that mean?" She knew she failed in her attempt to keep her voice completely steady. She also hated how passive and weak she sounded. _Damn my nonworking brain-mouth filter._

"Your husband has now begun the transition to become Ra's. He will be gone for three weeks."

Felicity shook her head in disbelief. "Wha….at?"

"The time is needed for the vestiges of his old life to be stripped away, leaving only Wareeth al Ghul."

"Who?"

"It's Arabic for Heir to the Demon. From now on there is no longer Oliver Queen. He will now be known as Al Sah-him. The Arrow. Until his transformation into Ra's al Ghul is complete."

"Why didn't you tell us this was happening? Why just take him away from me?"

"Why should I? It is meant to be, and I answer to no one. I have no obligation to warn you of my intentions. In anything."

Felicity was stunned at the cruelty of such behavior. And his arrogance.

"What you appear not to comprehend, Mrs. Queen, is I am essentially the ruler of this small kingdom. As such I can do whatever I want. Without explanation. Or permission. "

"And without common courtesy as well."

"Courtesy doesn't apply to tribal leaders."

"So that's what you consider yourself as? A tribal leader? Last time I checked this was the twenty-first century." Felicity gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. _Maybe I should watch what my temper better. I may not have a head in a few minutes._

"You would best be warned to watch your tongue, Mrs. Queen. I have tolerated your insubordinance thus far only because Wareeth hadn't begun his initiation. However, things will now change."

Felicity was beginning to rethink her strategy of confronting Ra's. Yesterday she had been afraid of what was in store for them, but looking into this man's eyes and only seeing evil, she realized she and Oliver really had no idea of the magnitude of evil they were indeed now facing.

"If you think you can't live under such 'antiquated' ideas, I'll gladly arrange your transportation back to Starling City," Ra's said, with an apparently patient look upon his face and a small smile on his lips.

Her head spinning, Felicity was having difficulty processing all that had transpired since she woken alone in their bed. Ra's had led them to believe he was accepting of their marriage, but then he takes away her husband without warning and basically attempts to maneuver her into abandoning Oliver and returning home. That is, if it was truly what he was offering. For all she knew, if she said she wanted to leave, he could very easily have her killed along the way. On the other hand, if he truly meant it as a legitimate offer, if she'd leave, she could return to Starling, rally the troops and get Oliver out of here. Considering brainwashing now was appearing to be part of the deal, she desperately wanted Oliver out of here. ASAP. Her heart cried out in protest of the second option.

"And leave Oliver to face your brainwashing alone? Hell no! Speaking of brainwashing, that wasn't something we agreed to."

Ra's laughed and shook his head. "You are indeed a delight, Mrs. Queen. You remind me of a Chihuahua who thinks it's a pit bull." Leaning forward, Ra's was close enough to Felicity she felt his hot breath as he exhaled.

"Never forget. Mrs. Queen. You are _only_ a Chihuahua, but I'm really a pit bull here in Nanda Parbat." He sat back in his chair and looked down his nose at her. "I suggest you retire to your room now to rest. You will join me for breakfast tomorrow morning and we will discuss many topics, including my expectations for your continued stay here."

A guard appeared at her side. "You are dismissed."

Felicity was about to protest but stopped by the combination of the guard's hand on her arm leading her away and by the look upon Ra's' face.

Barely holding herself together, Felicity made it back to their suite before the sobs began to escape from her. She ran into their bedroom, threw herself on the bed, buried her face in the luxurious thick pillow and let the tears flow.

She had never been so frightened in all her life. Not for herself, but for the most wonderful man she was hoping to call her husband for a very long time. Preferably until they were both old and gray. Very old and gray. She was suddenly afraid she wouldn't have the opportunity to do so.

A thought crashed through her subconscious. Ever the computer geek, for some reason she hadn't looked at her tablet since they had landed. Granted, she'd been distracted by some pretty heavy situations, ones not requiring technological support. But still. She went to the satchel where she stored her electrical devices, and found it empty. Except for a note.

_Dear Mrs. Queen, _

_For the duration of your stay here in Nanda Parbat, I must ask you to not use your tablet or any other computing device. Your devices have been confiscated and will be returned to you upon your departure. _

Felicity couldn't believe Ra's would have such audacity to just take away her tablet. She threw the satchel across the room in anger and became more frustrated when it barely hit the wall and fell in a miserable heap.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Suddenly he was wet. And cold. Very cold. He didn't know what had awakened him. He was then hit with another barrage of water, then comprehension occurred. However before he could react, he was then the recipient of several swift kicks to the stomach as he became aware of lying on his side on a dirt floor.

Opening his eyes, he only saw boots at first. He struggled to a sitting position, his head spinning as he attempted to regain his balance. Before he could, he received a punch which sent him flying back, hitting the back of his head on the dirt floor.

He didn't know why it was so difficult for him to regain some sense of balance. He looked up from lying on his back to see the blurry features of Ra's al Ghul hovering over him.

"Get up."

"That's what I've been trying to do, but you're not helping." For that remark, he received another kick to the stomach. He tried to bring his hands out in front of him to defend himself, but he finally realized they were tied behind his back. He closed his eyes and shook his head in another attempt to clear both his mind and his vision, and opened them again. Just in time for two sets of hands to drag him up to a standing position. Oliver registered a guard on either side of him with a firm grip on his arms. Of course, being dragged up set off another wave of dizziness before he could see clearly.

He managed to form words to a question despite the nausea and pain. "What's the meaning of this, Ra's? Is this how you treat your heir? Why?"

"Your initiation begins today, Mr. Queen. All vestiges of your old self have to be torn away so you can be rebuilt into the image of Ra's."

"And this includes pain, torture, and beatings?"

Ra's extended his hand, gathered momentum, and slapped Oliver hard, sending his head painfully back as the two guards let go of him as well. Oliver fell backwards, hitting his head hard on the ground. His ears ringing, Oliver attempted to sit up again to focus on Ra's in order to bestow upon him a characteristic Arrow glare. Which wasn't too successful, due to Oliver's inability to see the man in front of him clearly. Instead he saw three images of him.

"Whatever it takes to instill within you respect and obedience."

"Why is all this necessary?"

"Because you, my dear Mr. Queen, are a very stubborn man indeed. And crafty. How could I ever really trust you truly becoming my heir? I can't. So, by the time we're finished, there wouldn't be any Oliver Queen to interfere with the carrying out of your duties."

"My word isn't sufficient for you?"

"No, Mr. Queen, it isn't. Like I said, you are a very stubborn, very clever man. It is why I wanted you as my heir in the first place. You have great talents, and you should use them for the League." Ra's bestowed upon Oliver an especially evil smile. "Not in your foolish attempts to save your city. However, you also have an absurdly strong morality. Which you cannot have as Ra's."

"It wouldn't work. Others have attempted to brainwash me and failed."

"Don't make me laugh, Mr. Queen. There is no comparing me to either ARGUS or the Bratva." Leaning down, Ra's grasped Oliver's chin and forced Oliver's head up to meet his gaze. "Hear me good, boy. By the end of your initiation, Oliver Queen will no longer exist."

Letting go of his chin with a flourish, Ra's straightened, turned smartly and left the room. Oliver was too weak to hold himself up and instead fell back onto the ground once more. He attempted to sort through the rattled thoughts to figure out what was happening. How did he end up in this room? The last thing he remembered...the last thing he could recall...was lunch with Felicity. He thought the chicken had tasted a little off, tasting of saffron when the recipe looked like it would instead be cinnamon chicken, but...

Felicity! He pushed himself into a sitting position and immediately was hit by another wave of dizziness. Did anything happen to her? Would Ra's hurt her as well? He struggled against his bonds without any success and reprimanded himself. How could he forget to ask about her well-being, the love of his life? He shook herself. He barely had time to recall his own name in between the kicks and punches he received from Ra's. Ra's had only stayed to torment him for such a short time and then left, leaving no time for his scrambled brain to catch up.

Despite his concern for Felicity, Oliver was overwhelmed with such dizziness he couldn't dispel. He wondered if he was now being gassed, for the change in his alertness was so abrupt. However, before he could explore the topic more, he fell into unconsciousness.

**AN: Hmm…not so good. For either Mr. or Mrs. Queen. Hopefully I wouldn't make you wait too long. Please, if you may, let me know what you think of this. Thanks ever so much!**


	8. Chapter 8: Felicity Finds Out

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN:**** Thank you for returning back for the next exciting installment of the Queens in Nanda Parbat. Hope you enjoy! Thank you for all the new follows, and the favs and the reviews! **

Previously:

_Ra's laughed and shook his head. "You are indeed a delight, Mrs. Queen. You remind me of a Chihuahua who thinks it's a pit bull." Leaning forward, Ra's was close enough to Felicity she felt his hot breath as he exhaled. _

_"Never forget. Mrs. Queen. You are only a Chihuahua, but I'm really a pit bull here in Nanda Parbat." He sat back in his chair and looked down his nose at her. "I suggest you retire to your room now to rest. You will join me for breakfast tomorrow morning and we will discuss many topics, including my expectations for your continued stay here."_

_A guard appeared at her side. "You are dismissed." _

Felicity's angry thoughts were interrupted by a knock on a door, followed by a servant pushing in a food cart. Like they had done the previous three meals. Except Oliver was no longer at her side to partake the meal with her.

The servant nodded at her, turned around and left. Felicity sighed and pushed herself to get off the couch. She walked over to the cart and halfheartedly removed the plate cover. Recalling what had happened this afternoon, she threw the cover against the wall.

The door opened and one of her guards stepped into the room. "Mrs. Queen, the Master would like to inform you that you have nothing to fear with this meal. The food hasn't been tampered with."

"I bet." Felicity spat out. "Why don't you taste it for me then?" she said with a sarcastic sneer on her face.

The guard smiled slightly, cocking an eyebrow at her, approached the cart, and took one of the breadsticks. He took a bite, nodding at Felicity.

"See, nothing to worry about." He took several more bites, finishing off the breadstick. He then took a spoon, scooped up a small bite of meat and popped it in his mouth. Exaggerating a swallow, he smiled at Felicity and said, "Still okay. Have a good supper, Mrs. Queen."

He turned around and left, closing the door behind him. Felicity then heard a key turn. Her eyebrows rose. _That's new as well._

After standing there staring at the closed door lost in thought for five minutes, Felicity gave a humph, turned, and looked at the food cart again, with the solitary plate on it. Looking down, she saw an attractively arranged plate of veal, baby potatoes and carrots, and rice. Despite everything, her traitorous stomach gave a growl.

_Ra's can do anything he wants with me, and I can't stop him. He could gas me right now, if he wanted, or inject me with something. I know the food might still be drugged, but…I do have to keep up my strength. I _am_ hungry, despite everything. I better eat after all._

Felicity dejectedly plopped herself down in the chair and began to eat, picking at the food. For the first time she realized there was no TV in the room, no stereo. And of course no computer. _Now how am I to spend my time here? Ra's is really trying to kill me. Computer geek/TV addict without either her computer or TV._ Felicity's lips curled up in a small grimace. She curled into a ball in the chair while she ate with her fingers from the plate in her lap, picking at the food.

As she ate, her thoughts wandered. First she looked around the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She hadn't had time to look around what she could only assume would be her new home for at least a while. She noticed a cupboard where, ordinarily, would hold a TV and/or entertainment center. After taking several more bites, she decided to walk over and investigate. She opened the doors, and what looked like a stereo system was there. She pushed the power button and classical music came on. _Well, maybe Ra's isn't totally uncivilized. At least I have something to keep me company._

It appeared to be an ordinary stereo system, with a radio conspicuously absent._ So no way for her to keep up on world news. Interesting._

Felicity returned to the table, sat down, picked up the fork, and continued eating. It occurred to Felicity she should later check to see if there were any bugs or cameras in the room. As she finished eating, she noted the places where she would check for such things. She then began to inventory in her head the possible weapons in the room, even though she doubted she would be able to defend herself against assassins. _But you never know. _However, this too wasn't very successful. _Of course Ra's wouldn't leave anything in here I could use to kill him, after all. Even if I'm only a computer geek._

She leaned back in her chair, and slowly finished the remaining bites of the supper. Checking internally, she was somewhat relieved not to note any strange reactions, and certainly not the reaction she had this afternoon. Looking at her watch, she noted it was now 7pm.

Suddenly lacking the motivation to start searching the room, she recognized the uneasy feeling within herself growing, signaling an anxiety attack developing. _I better do my calisthenics to release my anxiety before there's a nuclear explosion._

She did some stretches, then began to jog in place. She brushed aside the thought of how ridiculous she must look. _Not as if I have anything else to do._ And, after all, exercise did help her manage her anxiety. Which was important to control, in this life-and-death situation.

A traitorous voice within her asked, _"Why did you ever agree to stay here with Oliver? This could very well be life-threatening. And what can you do, being just…you?_

She shook her head. It had all happened like a dream, Roy dying, Ra's making the offer, she and Oliver making love. _Finally._ She agreed to accompany Oliver because, well, he needed her. He needed someone on his team. She just never thought, in a million years, how difficult it would be. It never occurred to her that it would go _this_ way. The depth of evil existing in the man. _Really, Felicity what did you expect? The man is the head of the most dangerous league of assassins in the world, after all. _She sighed, and ruefully thought, _I just let myself be led astray by his supposedly civilized manner. I let myself think he wasn't just a common criminal after all. _

Before she knew it, Felicity realized she had jogged in place for thirty minutes._ Who says stress doesn't work as a motivator for exercise?_ Breathing easier, she was satisfied with the relaxation she felt despite the situation. She curled up on the couch and wondered what she should do next. Looking at her watch, she was surprised to see it was 8:15pm. _Time for a shower, I suppose. That way, I'm ready for whenever Ra's 'summons' me."_

Reality came crashing back on her, as she recalled her breakfast appointment tomorrow. _There goes the relaxation._ She closed her eyes and began the meditation techniques Roy had taught her. A sense of calm washed over her and she opened her eyes. Her normally inherent optimism returned to her. _This will all work out. It has to. And the meeting with Ra's tomorrow? It will be okay. I will get through it just fine. _

With new resolve, she headed for the shower; afterwards she got ready for bed and crawled between the covers. Pushing aside the longing she felt for her missing husband, and the memories of the past two nights, she forced herself to continue her meditations until she fell asleep.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

He was cold. Very cold. And wet. Again. And his arms hurt.

Opening his eyes, Oliver saw cement blocks across from him. He remembered Nanda Parbat. Ra's al Ghul. Becoming his heir.

Looking down, his feet barely touched the ground, torturously unable to rest. His eyes traveled upwards, noting his manacled hands were chained to the ceiling. Before he could continue with his investigation, another pail of water hit him in the face. _So _that's_ what woke me up. _Sputtering, he spit out a mouthful of water and tried to focus on the man who seemed as though he suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Good morning, Mr. Queen."

_At least he now knew the time of day. _

He tried to talk, to say something, but his throat was dry. He moved his lips, stretching them, then tried again.

"Ra's. What's up?"

Ra's shook his head slightly and punched Oliver in the jaw. "You are to refer to me as Master."

His eyes burning with rebellious anger, Oliver bit back the sarcastic reply he knew would only bring more pain.

"I couldn't hear you, Mr. Queen."

Gritting his teeth, Oliver said, "How are you today, Master? What can I do for you?"

Ra's fixed a cold glare upon Oliver then delivered several punches to Oliver's abdomen. Dizziness swept over Oliver as his body swung slightly from the punches. His feet involuntarily tried to find traction but unable to. Through the haze, Oliver found Ra's still looking at him, waiting for a reply. Shaking his head, Oliver attempted to adopt a nonchalant air, regardless of his situation.

"What is it you really want from me…Master?"

"Your spirit broken, Mr. Queen."

_A broken record, are we, Ra's? _Oliver breathed out a loud sigh, and tried to maintain his casual attitude as he slowly looked up the chains suspending him from the ceiling, then took his time to look back down at Ra's.

"We shall see, won't we?" Oliver desperately grabbed a sense of accomplishment as Ra's delivered another punch to Oliver's battled abdomen.

"We _will_ see, Mr. Queen. We will see indeed."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Felicity felt she had finally fallen asleep, only to be jarred awake by a loud knocking of the door. Totally disoriented, Felicity fell out of bed. She stumbled to her feet, grabbing her robe and putting it on as she found her way to the door. Opening it, she looked up and found herself staring into the face of one of the tallest guards she had met at Nanda Parbat.

"My master requests you join him for breakfast in forty-five minutes."

Felicity nodded her understanding, closed the door, and returned to her bedroom. She got ready, doing the minimal make-up and grooming, threw her hair in her usual ponytail, and was pleased with herself she was ready within twenty minutes. She opened her door and was met with the same guard who had knocked earlier. He gave her a little smile, and gestured she was to follow him down the hallway.

It made her feel a little better as she noticed the guards were walking slower than they would normally be, she was sure, for her sake. They, however, kept her in between them so she wasn't able to observe much of the surroundings as they walked along. She wasn't sure, but she believed they were walking in a different part of the fortress.

She was led into a room, which appeared to be a three-season porch, with wall-length windows on two of the walls, and a table set for the meal. As she approached, the man holding her and her husband's fates in his hands rose from the table and gave her a nod.

"Thank you for joining me, Mrs. Queen."

For once her brain to mouth filter worked and the reply Felicity wanted to say died on her lips. She took the seat which Ra's indicated, picked up the napkin at the corner of her table setting, and placed it on her lap. Only then did she meet the eyes of the man across from her. And became unnerved by the look she saw in them.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Felicity said, "So what is it you wish to discuss with me, Mr. al Ghul?"

A small smile formed on Ra's' lips. "You are certainly one of a kind, Mrs. Queen. I can certainly understand the affection Mr. Queen holds for you." Reaching for the bowl of fruit in front of him, Ra's said, "We shall eat our breakfast first, and then we shall talk business."

Her brain to mouth filter decided to choose that moment to break. "You expect me to eat without knowing what terrible things you have planned for me?" Felicity's hand went to her mouth, and she looked at Ra's with huge eyes. "I mean, I would really rather get our talk out of the way first." Felicity worried her lower lip, attempted to prevent saying anything more, but failed. "Please, just let me know what is going on. With me, with Oliver."

Ra's nodded his understanding. "I appreciate your…concern. If you don't mind, I would like to eat while we discuss some of the topics then." Picking up his fork, he continued, "Please do what you feel comfortable."

As she watched him fill his plate with scrambled eggs and bacon, taking several pieces of toast from a plate, Felicity focused on her breathing in order to remain calm. Ra's began to eat, chewing and swallowing slowly, apparently enjoying each morsel to its utmost.

After a few more bites, Ra's put his fork down and leaned towards Felicity. "I hope you know how much I appreciate your loyalty to Wareeth. It will bode well in his future as Ra's, having such a strong woman next to him as his spouse."

At her involuntary shudder, Ra's leaned back and asked, "What? You didn't expect to help him carry out his duties as the leader of the League of Assassins?"

Not trusting her voice, Felicity sat and waited for Ra's to continue. He gave another small smile and said, "Yes, your life will now be different. Your husband will have more power and riches than you can imagine."

"But that's not him." Felicity was ashamed of how small her voice sounded.

"Oh, but it will be."

"You expect me to stand by and watch you change him into this….this soulless power-hungry clone of yours?"

"Yes. I do."

"And during this 'change' what do you expect me to be doing?"

"As part of his ascension to Ra's, Wareeth has to destroy the land of his birth in order to get a fresh start." He paused to allow his words to sink into Felicity's stunned brain. "You, with your computer prowess, will obtain for me the security codes to break into the water systems of all the major cities of the United States. With these codes, we will be able to sabotage their water systems with the Alpha-Omega virus, bringing about nation-wide destruction. In this way, the earth will begin its renewal."

"What makes you think I, much less Oliver, will agree to assist you with this?"

"You do not have a choice."

**AN: Well, there's that. Hmm. Let me know what you think. Hopefully I won't leave you on the cliff too long. I would apologize for the cliffhanger, but….well….you know. (grin). Let me know what you think, it does certainly speed up the creative juices! See you soon!**


	9. Chapter 9: Breakfast with Ra's

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you again so much for all the wonderful reviews, follows and favs! They do mean so much. Hope you like this next chapter as well. **

Previously:

"_As part of his ascension to Ra's, Wareeth has to destroy the land of his birth in order to get a fresh start." He paused to allow his words to sink into Felicity's stunned brain. "You, with your computer prowess, will obtain for me the security codes to break into the water systems of all the major cities of the United States. With these codes, we will be able to sabotage their water systems with the Alpha-Omega virus, bringing about nation-wide destruction. In this way, the earth will begin its renewal."_

"_What makes you think I, much less Oliver, will agree to assist you with this?"_

"_You do not have a choice."_

Felicity had to push herself to ask the next question, but she needed to know exactly where she stood. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and asked, "Exactly how is it we don't have a choice?"

"You see, Mrs. Queen, I determine how long your husband's initiation into the League will last, and what procedures are actually used. I can make the whole process more…shall we say, _persuasive_for you, if I am forced to. In order to ensure your participation."

Reminding herself how big, scary Bad Guys love teasing their answers out, Felicity attempted to control her irritation with his vague answers. "Exactly _what_ does that mean? Since you've not told me what his 'initiation' consists of, at all, I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"Oh, I understand you appreciate a good TV show, like….Sons of Anarchy or The Walking Dead?" He paused. "Or Game of Thrones, perhaps? Ones that show a good torture session." He noted Felicity's gasp. "Yes, his initiation is similar to those scenes."

Felicity couldn't stop her involuntary gulp. Gone was the socially acceptable host. Instead a true monster remained. Images from those TV shows flooded her mind. Oliver had already suffered so much on the island, she knew he could survive anything Ra's could throw at him. She just didn't want him having to undergo such things again. And certainly not as an inducement for her compliance.

"So, despite all of your big talk of traditions and honor, the League's initiation consists of crude methods of torture, beatings and brainwashing?"

Ra's shrugged. "Your husband is a special case. I have had to up my game, forcing me to use these 'crude' methods, as you call them." Turning solemn, Ra's said, "And if I am forced to go too far…I do have the Lazarus Pit, after all." Ra's began to drawl his words. "To be used again…and again…_and again_…if needed."

What was Ra's saying? Was he implying he won't hesitate to kill Oliver in order for her to comply with his demands? To push Oliver beyond humane limits, then bring him back to life? She dreaded the answer but still asked the question. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I need both your and your husband's cooperation, Mrs. Queen. My plan will succeed, and no one, and I mean no one, will stop me. If I have to use such…crude…measures to do so, I will."

Felicity's lips curled downwards before she realized her reaction. He did sound like a TV villain.

"And let me make this abundantly clear, Mrs. Queen. Even though Mr. Harper apparently didn't suffer any ill effects from his first time in the Pit, repeated submersions do result in drastic changes in personality. You may not like the person your husband becomes, if I'm forced to go that route."

"So that's why you're the way you are," escaped her lips before she knew it. Again her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. Felicity became even more worried about this remark than she was with her last slip.

Ra's, however, smiled a little sadly and said, "Touché, Mrs. Queen."

_OMG, it really is true, then?__ The Pit can lead to insanity?_

"Yes it certainly can, and something you should avoid as long as possible for your husband." Sitting back in his chair Ra's asked, "Am I making myself clear as to why resistance against my plan is futile?"

"It's certainly one way to ensure our cooperation, that's for sure," Felicity found herself muttering under her breath. "So, if I refuse to help you with this, you will torture my husband to the brink of death, then bring him back only to do so again and again? And not only that, but also threatening a change in personality brought on by repeated dunks in a magical hot tub?"

Ra's brought his hand up and shrugged. "That is one way of expressing it."

Suddenly, her traitorous stomach again growled. _Twice in two days? Sheesh!_

Ra's picked up his fork. "Please, Mrs. Queen, you need to eat. You must keep up your strength. Wareeth will require your assistance once he returns." He began to eat.

Felicity's dirty mind wandered into an area of which she wasn't sure whether Ra's had meant by his statement. A glimmer appeared in his eyes, and his lips smirked upwards.

_Shit. I think he knows what I'm thinking. _

"Of course, Mrs. Queen, I once was young and in love myself."

Felicity felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. This meeting was certainly not going the way she had thought it would.

"Seriously, though, I wish you would eat."

Felicity sighed, and let herself get lost for a moment in the brown depths of the eyes in front of her. He did almost look…kind…in his concern for her. She shook herself. _How can I forget for __even __one__ millionth of a__ second this man __was only moments ago__ threatening to __kill__ Oliver __over and over as simply a means to his evil ends__._ Felicity checked and was relieved she hadn't said those words out loud. She reached for the various dishes in front of her and began to dish small portions for herself. After forcing herself to select just enough food to be acceptable, she picked up her fork, looking down at the plate of food in front of her. She sighed and began to eat, forcing herself to take bites of food when all she wanted was to push it around on her plate.

Ra's smiled at her, as he continued to eat. Nothing broke the silence for several minutes but the sound of the meal.

"I am glad you are eating. I especially enjoy this particular meal; breakfast is one of my chef's specialties."

Felicity suddenly didn't know what to say so she simply nodded her agreement. The food was indeed delicious, despite forcing herself to swallow the first few bites, and like she said, if she could separate the evil intentions of the man in front of her, she could begin to enjoy his company. He wasn't bad to look at, with his roguish good looks, and was a conundrum in personality. For the sake of her sanity, she decided for the moment to go with that. In order to eat. To keep up her strength, but not for the purpose Ra's had insinuated. Instead, to help Oliver survive and get them both out of here.

After allowing her anxious heart a moment to relax, Felicity decided to break the silence. She still had unanswered questions.

"What can I expect Oliver to be like when he returns?"

"It's difficult to say. The initiation process, like I said, strips his old life away, leaving the soul open to embrace his new life as part of the League as Wareeth al Ghul."

It sounded like mumble-jumble to Felicity. _At least I hope it is only mumble-jumble. _She bit back a nasty reply regarding his continued tendency to give her a non-answer to her questions. _I give up. He's not going to give me any more answers._

So when Ra's changed the subject she was able to accept the inevitability of it occurring. She pushed herself in accepting the need to push that topic aside...for now.

"After breakfast, you will be escorted to our computer room, where only the best computing systems are." He picked up his juice glass, took several long sips, and said, "Of course, it goes without saying your every keystroke will be monitored carefully."

Felicity reminded herself she had been prepared for the inevitability of not being able to sneak a message out to Diggle or Lyla, but it still was painful to hear.

"I would never have dreamed of doing such a thing, to try to sneak something past you," Felicity said, attempting to adopt her most innocent tone possible.

"Nice try, Mrs. Queen. But consider yourself warned." An ominous look crossed his face almost too quickly for Felicity to catch. But catch it she did, and she felt a chill across her shoulder blades. "Anyone attempting to stop me will meet with certain and painful death." He paused, then continued in the same dark tone. "So, Mrs. Queen, I would be careful not to involve anyone you care about in this."

Felicity watched as Ra's took his last bite, clearing his plate. He picked up his napkin, wiped the corners of his mouth, and dropped the napkin on the table. Rising, he said, "I do apologize, but I must get going. I have much to complete today." Looking at her half-finished plate, he continued. "Please take your time finishing your breakfast. Once you are done, like I said, you will be escorted to the computer room."

Felicity watched Ra's leave, his two guards following him. She rested her elbow on the table, her head falling into her hand. Shaking her head, Felicity attempted to keep the tears at bay that were threatening behind her eyes. Resolving to be strong, Felicity reminded herself she and Oliver made a great, unbeatable team and Ra's really had no idea of what was in store for him.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

The next thing Oliver became aware of was going from darkness to light as a bag was pulled off his head and cold water again dumped over him. Oliver looked up, with the light from the overhead bulb blinding him, seeing only the shadow of his assailant.

"Have you thought over what we had talked about, Mr. Queen?"

Oliver's comment of "What was that again?" was met with several quick kicks to his abdomen. He hadn't meant to be smart; he just didn't have his wits about him to be compliant. He didn't even have the collected wits to recognize the realization of that thought. All he could think about was the pain in his stomach and the cold seeping into his bones.

"Shall we try it again, Mr. Queen?"

Oliver's brain attempted to get caught up. It finally realized what Ra's wanted him to say. "I'm sorry, Master. I've been confused. I meant no disrespect. I have forgotten, what was I to have thought about?"

He braced himself for another assault, but this time none was given. His blurry eyes attempted to focus on the man in front of him. Ra's moved out of the light, which made it easier for Oliver to see the smirk on his face. Which changed into a satisfied nod and smile. Attempting to sit up, he realized his hands were again handcuffed behind his back. He managed to get himself in an upright position and looked up at Ra's, silently waiting for him to speak.

"Thank you, Wareeth. I recognize and appreciate your attempt at obedience." Observing Oliver's quizzical raise of his eyebrows, Ra's explained, "Your name, from now on, will be Wareeth al Ghul. It means 'Heir to the Demon'."

Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, Oliver nodded. He reminded himself he needed to be alive in order to get Felicity out of here unscathed. In order to be alive, he needed to accept everything Ra's dished out, until he could think of something else. And accepting everything meant having to follow every one of Ra's' demands. No matter how sick they were.

"Yes, Master." Swallowing even though his mouth was dry, Oliver forced out the question, "What do you have planned for today?"

"Besides working on not flinching every time you hear your new name, Wareeth, there are several other initiation activities that need to occur before we move onto the next phase."

Oliver didn't know what worried him more, the other initiation activities or what the next phase would consist of. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, attempting to find his center to calm himself. Opening his eyes, Oliver braced himself to hear what Ra's was about to say next.

**AN: Hope you found this chapter interesting. Please let me know what you think, if you so desire, and hopefully I will have the next chapter up quicker. Thanks again for reading, following, and reviewing!**


	10. Chapter 10: A Surprise for Felicity

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thanks for the new favs, follows and reviews, especially the guest reviews I can't thank personally. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

Previously:

_"Besides working on not flinching every time you hear your new name, Wareeth, there are several other initiation activities that need to occur before we move onto the next phase."_

_Oliver didn't know what worried him more, the other initiation activities or what the next phase would consist of. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, attempting to find his center to calm himself. Opening his eyes, Oliver braced himself to hear what Ra's was about to say next. _

"In preparation for your full day tomorrow, I am going to leave you now to rest."

Oliver struggled to watch as Ra's left. His vision was blurry, his head ached, and his entire body felt the pain of the multiple beatings he had experienced. All of this mattered, but he was even more concerned about the fuzziness of his mind. Oliver didn't like how even the attempt of thinking of a topic was a struggle. _Ra's must be drugging me. I wonder if it is gaseous, intravenous, or in the food and drink. _Suddenly, Oliver couldn't remember eating or drinking. Not since the last meal he had shared with Felicity.

His mind cleared suddenly. Felicity! Oh, how could he not be thinking about her? He still hadn't asked Ra's about her. Was she all right? Why oh why did he even think bringing her here was a good idea? That it would protect her? Oliver hadn't expected Ra's to actually attempt to brainwash him. He foolishly believed Ra's would accept Oliver's willingness to join the League at face value, because Oliver had believed he hadn't given Ra's any reason to doubt Oliver's intent. _My mind must be drugged. I'm actually wondering why a master criminal wasn't acting honorably._

And why had he not been thinking about Felicity? Part of him truthfully admitted he hadn't asked because he was afraid of Ra's' answer.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

_Felicity watched as Ra's took his last bite, clea__n__ing his plate. He picked up his napkin, wiped the corners of his mouth, and dropped the napkin on the table. Rising, he said, "I do apologize, but I must get going. I have much to complete today." Looking at her half-finished plate, he continued. "Please take your time finishing your breakfast. Once you are done, like I said, you will be escorted to the computer room."_

After she choked down the last mouthful she could, Felicity decided there was no further use in delaying the inevitable. She got up and said to her guard, "I guess I'm ready to go to the computer room."

She was led through several halls and walked into a comfortable-sized room. Individual computer desks set in rows of five, with three rows filling up the medium-sized room. Interestingly enough, there were only eight men working on the computers. Felicity wondered what they were working on. However, several of them were alternating their time in between two or three computers.

One of the guards led her to the front of the room and gestured to the desk at the end of the row. Felicity quirked an eyebrow and sat down. _Not the desk I would've chosen, but at least it's on the aisle._

One of the men approached her with a three inch pile of papers and placed them in front of her. Felicity skimmed through the pages and found listings of cities and zip codes. Closing her eyes, she attempted to calm her racing heart. _I can do this. I can do this for Oliver. _Filled with resolve, she turned her attention to her new task and began to search for weaknesses in each city's substructure. Blocking any thought as to the consequences of such actions, she instead prayed that somehow she and Oliver would figure out a way to stop Ra's.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

The days passed by for Felicity in a certain pattern. She got up, got ready for the day, and opened the door when there was a knock finding several League soldiers outside who escorted her to the computer room. Working her way through the lists of names, Felicity could only wonder how they could possibly stop the plans of a madman hell bent on the world's destruction. She also wondered and worried about what was happening to Oliver. Ever since Ra's had referred to the torture she had seen on various TV shows, Felicity hadn't been able to stop thinking about what Oliver could be experiencing. And how she was unable to stop it. Whenever she was about to break down, she reminded herself that only by keeping going she was preventing anything worse from happening to him. If it were indeed something worse than what he currently was experiencing. Which she then stopped herself from imagining.

It was on the tenth day without him she woke up to find Oliver standing at the foot of her bed, dressed in the black League outfit. Ramrod straight. He was watching her with expressionless eyes.

Felicity had just finished dreaming the most wonderful dream, of her and Oliver in a nursery, cooing over their newborn baby. She luxuriated in the wonderful feelings of connectedness and love, when suddenly her eyes flew open. Looking at the now-familiar red velvet drapes of her room in Nanda Parbat, reality came crashing in on her.

Suddenly sensing another's presence in the room, she sat up in bed, and found Oliver standing at the foot of her bed, watching her. Felicity leaped out of bed and threw herself into his arms, not registering the fact his face wore no expression of welcome. When his arms didn't reciprocate the hug, Felicity leaned back and looked into his face. Only to find…not her Oliver.

"Oliver? What's….what's wrong?" she asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

"My name is not Oliver, it is Wareeth. You are my wife." Instead of the warmth his voice usually held for her, the words were said in a monotone voice quite unlike Oliver's usual melodious baritone tones.

Closing her eyes, Felicity attempted to calm herself. Part of her had attempted to prepare for such a possibility, but reality was worse than any nightmare could be. She opened them, looked at the stranger in front of her, and steeled herself not to react. With every ounce of her determination, she stayed in place and held her tongue. When she felt able, she took the first step into her new normal. _Like Scarlett O'Hara, I will think about all of this tomorrow. __Or a__t least sometime later__ other than right now. _

"Hello, Wareeth. Yes, I am your wife. Felicity."

"Yes, that is what my Master tells me. He also told me to inform you we will be joining him for breakfast in half an hour. I will wait for you in the other room." Turning smartly, he walked out of the room, his posture militarily straight.

Biting her lip to prevent the tears threatening to flow, Felicity watched as Oliver, no, Wareeth, left the room, closing the door behind him. She closed her eyes and buried her head in her hands, but only for a moment. Taking a breath, she nodded to herself, and proceeded to get ready for the day. _Ra's may think he's won the battle, but by golly I'm going to win th__e __war for Oliver's soul. _

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

When she was dressed and ready to face the day, Felicity took a final deep breath, squared herself, and opened the door. Oliver was standing at attention beside the door of the suite, staring straight ahead. Shaking her head, Felicity walked over to him. "Guess I'm ready to go."

Wareeth opened the door and Felicity preceded him into the hallway, walking past two guards standing at attention on either side of the door. One of them held out a hand and stopped Felicity. "We are to precede you. Please follow us."

Entering the dining room, Felicity wasn't surprised to find Ra's already seated at the head of the elegant table, a full plate in front of him. Wareeth went around the table to take the place to Ra's right, and waited until Felicity sat down. Felicity approached her expected place, nodded to the guard who held the chair for her, and slid into it. Two servants arrived at Felicity's and Oliver's sides with full plates, which they placed in front of the two newcomers.

After placing the napkin on her lap, Felicity steeled herself and looked at Ra's. Again, she wasn't surprised to find Ra's watching her with an inscrutable expression on his face.

"Good morning, Mrs. Queen. I trust you slept well."

Despite her best intentions, a smart remark came out. "Yes, until I woke up to find a stranger in my room." This time, however, Felicity was determined not to be scared of the possible results of making such a remark. She held his gaze without flinching. Ra's met her gaze with a small smile.

"Yes, I thought I would arrange a small reunion with your husband, now that his initiation is complete."

Felicity coolly looked across the table at the man sitting there, who had begun to eat. "That's not my husband. He's only a poor substitute."

"I must say, Mrs. Queen, you are taking all of this surprisingly well."

"I suppose you thought I would be crying in a corner, wringing my hands?" Looking him straight in the eye, Felicity said, "If it's the last thing I do, I will get him back."

"You can certainly try, but I fear you will not be successful. In the meantime, your computer work is to continue until all the names on the list have been infiltrated."

"What will…Wareeth be doing while I'm completing this task?"

Ra's leaned back into his chair and picked up his fork. He resumed eating the food on his plate. In between bites, Ra's said, "Oh, he will now be training my troops in his particular set of fighting skills." After several more bites, Ra's said, "I am sure that isn't your only question, Mrs. Queen."

"Let's drop the formalities, shall we? Why don't you call me Felicity? Every time you call me Mrs. Queen I feel you're mocking me and my husband."

"I assure you that isn't my intent, Mrs.…I mean, Felicity. However, I will honor your request." After another bite Ra's stated, "So, what other questions do you have for me, Felicity?"

"Let's cut the crap, Ra's. Why don't you just tell me what you're going to tell me? Don't make me play games regarding what you'll tell me."

"Touché, Felicity." Ra's reached for his glass of orange juice and took several swallows. "To establish a base of knowledge for you, I will tell you a few things. Everything has been wiped from Wareeth's memory. Everything except his need to obey me and the precepts of the League."

Forcing herself to sound detached, Felicity said, "In other words, he doesn't remember anything about me. Or our wedding. Among other things."

"Correct."

Despite herself, all other questions were wiped from her brain. Grabbing the first thing that popped into her brain, she asked, "How can I have a relationship with a robot, then?" Cringing internally, Felicity regretted asking the question, exposing her vulnerability, but the damage was done. "You had said that I'd be at his side, assisting him in the carrying out of his duties."

"I never said you would have a…relationship with your husband. I only said you would assist him in being Ra's."

Felicity was proud of how she refused to allow a reaction to show on her face. Instead, she nodded solemnly. Pressing forward, she asked, "What else can you tell me, Ra's?" She reminded herself it was like pulling off a Band-Aid; it would only hurt for a moment.

"Don't you think you should begin to eat, Felicity? You don't want your breakfast to get cold."

_You old bastard, you know I can barely eat with my stomach in my throat. _Felicity let out a small sigh, wondering if she had said that out loud, but Ra's didn't react, so she thought she was safe. Instead, she gave a tight little smile, picked up her fork and said, "Okay." She really wanted to say something, anything else, but words failed her. Looking down at her plate, she swallowed a small wave of nausea. She took a bite of scrambled eggs, as her traitorous stomach betrayed her with an answering grumble.

"See, I knew you were hungry."

Felicity swallowed her angry retort and took several more bites, making a show of chewing them thoroughly. She stole a glance at the man across the table from her. Wareeth was busy finishing his breakfast while impersonally looking at both her and Ra's. Her heart broke at the blank look she observed in the man's eyes. Gone was Oliver's active interest in the world around him, the very essence of the man she loved.

Despite her anger over being dismissed, Felicity continued to eat in silence, choking down the food while sitting in the presence of the most evil man she had ever met, and the stranger to whom she was now married.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Tune in next time to see what Felicity will plan to get out of this mess. And, oh yeah, we should probably check and see what Team Arrow has been up to while the Queens have been gone. Let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time!**


	11. Chapter 11: Felicity Begins Her Plan

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN:**** Thank you so much for returning for another installment of the Queens in Nanda Parbat. Let's see what is next…..Oh, and thank you so much for all the reviews last chapter. Sure inspires that finicky Muse!**

Previously:

_Felicity swallowed her angry retort and took several more bites, making a show of chewing them thoroughly. She stole a glance at the man across the table from her. Wareeth was busy finishing his breakfast while impersonally looking at both her and Ra's. Her heart broke at the blank look she observed in the man's eyes. Gone was Oliver's active interest in the world around him, the very essence of the man she loved._

_Despite her anger over being dismissed, Felicity continued to eat in silence, choking down the food while sitting in the presence of the most evil man she had ever met, and the stranger to whom she was now married. _

~~OQ~~

They finished the meal in silence. Felicity was determined not to speak again, for it was apparent Ra's wouldn't answer any more of her questions. She still hoped he would, but she waited in vain for him to continue their discussion. Instead, he continued to eat without saying a word. She looked across the table at Oliver, who continued to eat with a blank look on his face. Oh how she missed the sparkle in his eyes, the occasional grimace he would give. Even the nervous twitch of his hand was missing. Oliver was now truly a different person.

After ten minutes, Ra's spooned the final bite of his scrambled eggs into his mouth, swallowed, drank the remaining coffee from his mug, and stood up. Looking across the table, Felicity noticed Oliver was also finished. He put down his silverware and looked at Ra's for further instruction.

"Wareeth and I are finished, so we shall take our leave. Feel free to finish, Felicity, and then head to the computer room as usual. We shall then see you at supper."

Felicity watched as the men left, Wareeth falling in behind Ra's as the master criminal left the room. She picked up her silverware, fully intending to eat some more, but all she ended up doing was pushing the food around on her plate. After five more minutes, Felicity pushed her plate away and stood up. Maybe she could distract herself with the work. She shook her head at the thought….distracting herself by doing work for a master criminal under duress? Sigh.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Felicity sat staring at the computer screen, reviewing again the strange breakfast she just had instead of doing the work. Catching the eyes of the guard at the door, she shook herself. Forcing herself to open the file, she at least began to give the impression of beginning to work.

She had no idea what she could do about the situation. Finally seeing Oliver after his "initiation" was certainly more traumatic than she ever would have thought. However, it did give her the courage to proceed to the next step. Today she'd begin to implement the idea she'd developed. It was risky, beginning it on the day Oliver was 'returned' to her, but then again maybe it would go unnoticed for exactly that reason.

It had been a challenge to develop the code in her head because Ra's, in his infinite wisdom, didn't allow any sort of writing instrument or paper in her room. The guards took count of all the papers she came in contact with as well as the pens she used during her work. In her room, the only thing coming close to a writing implement were some of her cosmetics. Luckily, she had an eye liner pencil, a lip pencil, and an eyebrow pencil she could use. Without magazines, newspapers or books, and even without paper towels, she resorted to using toilet paper. It was very difficult to write on, but she had to figure the code out in some way.

And, because she was paranoid (or realistic, as some might say) she only wrote in the bathroom. She had scoured the suite for hidden cameras, microphones or other surveillance devices the first few days of her arrival. Unfortunately she couldn't find anything. Felicity wasn't convinced there wasn't some way she was being bugged. So she used extreme caution when in her room. It gave her the creeps at the thought of her being wrong, but she really hoped there weren't any surveillance equipment in the bathroom.

She had developed two codes to embed deep into the substructures of the servers she was infiltrating. One was a message to her computers in the cave, via the cloud. One which would be diverted through so many networks it would crash any computer trying to follow it. The message stated simply they needed help ASAP. The second code was a safety measure which would counteract the program she had been placing in each system she was infiltrating.

After an hour of seemingly dedicated work, Felicity took a few minutes to sneak in the coded message to the Arrow team. Praying it was indeed untraceable, she took a breath and went back to the official work. Occasionally casually looking at the men working on the computers, as they moved around the room carrying out their various duties, Felicity noted with relief their patterns seemingly remained unchanged from any other day. She had worried the soldiers/guards/workers would catch onto what she was doing.

In the afternoon, after her usual lunch in the corner of the computer room, away from the computers, Felicity went back to work. She was pleased with herself that she was still able to give off the appearance of continued obedience and normalcy. After another hour of nondetection, she decided to be brave, and she began to sneak in the other code as she left each system after her infiltration.

With each one, she had to remind herself to breath, to act natural. She only let herself to casually look around the room every ten cities or so. The men in the room continued to move around and work as they had been doing all day. Saying a quick prayer of thanksgiving, Felicity continued to work her way down the page of cities' names.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Ten Days Previously:

_After they said goodbye to their loved ones, one of the guards walked up to the group. "It is time for the plane to leave."_

_Oliver sighed, and nodded. He and Felicity stepped back and allowed their family to board the plane. Thea looked back as she entered the plane, but the rest resolutely boarded the plane without another glance._

_As he watched the plane take off, Oliver felt Felicity's small hand creep into his and give it a squeeze. He looked down at her, meeting her eyes, and swallowed as she attempted a brave smile. Without a word, they turned and followed the guards back to the Fortress._

~~OQ~~FS~~

From her window seat, Thea attempted to watch his brother and his new wife as they left the airfield as the plane lifted into the air. Felicity looked so small as she slid her hand into Oliver's and they walked away. Thea could tell her brother was worried. Thea was worried as well.

As soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off, Thea felt arms circle around her. "We'll get them back," Roy whispered in her ear.

Jumping out of his arms, Thea turned to look squarely at her boyfriend. "Are you sure? My brother seemed plenty afraid, and he doesn't scare easily."

Roy's lips pursed into a thin line. Thea could almost see his wish to lie to her, but he knew better. "We will certainly give it our best shot." Nodding towards Laurel, sitting across the aisle, he whispered, "She's not going to leave them there."

Thea looked at Laurel, noticing her stony gaze and determined set of her chin and knew Roy was correct. She had known Laurel all her life, and never knew a woman more stubborn than her. It often made the relationship between her and Oliver quite volatile, because Oliver was the most stubborn man Thea knew. However, in this case, they would need that stubbornness to get through this. If anyone in the remaining broken Team Arrow could come up with a solution to this mess, it would be a certain Ms. Laurel Lance.

Thea leaned into Roy, and welcomed his embrace as he once again wrapped his arms around her. "No matter what, I am glad we've got you back."

Kissing her on the crown of her head, Roy said, "Me too, Thea. Me too."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Laurel sat in stony silence, thinking about the events of the past week. How could it have gone so wrong? That Oliver…so stubborn, but what other choice did he have? Of course he would agree to Ra's deal to save Roy. If she were honest, would she expect anything less from him? At least from the man he grew up to be. Even though there were signs of that heroic streak when he was young. Always stepping up to defend the innocent. Even though he did have his moments, Laurel had to admit adolescent Ollie was very self-centered and selfish. Who would've thought that young boy would grow up to become the selfless savior of Starling City? And not just saving others once or twice, but many times over.

That's why they just couldn't leave him and Felicity in Nanda Parbat. Even though Oliver had told them not to try to get them out of there. Hell if she was going to listen to that crap. The problem is, how to correct this situation. Laurel sighed, and thought of Nyssa. They hadn't had the chance to touch base with her to find out what she thought of the situation. Or whether she would be willing to assist them with rescuing Oliver.

Over the past month Nyssa had refused to discuss how she was feeling about being deserted by her father. They had begun their friendship with the bond of having a broken relationship with their fathers. However, even though Nyssa had listened endlessly to Laurel's rants about her father, Nyssa had refused to discuss her situation at all.

Laurel also debated about reaching out to the bastard Malcolm. Laurel hated it, but knew he was the one with the knowledge necessary to get them out of Nanda Parbat. Oliver had shared with her the fact Malcolm had inside knowledge of Nanda Parbat. So logically he'd be the one to assist them with this. He'd been conspicuously absent recently.

Laurel's gaze fell on Diggle, sitting behind her. Eyes closed, his breathing regular, he appeared to be sleeping. Laurel knew she should be as well, but her mind continued to race as she struggled to come up with answers. She couldn't erase the feeling Oliver and Felicity were indeed in a very bad situation. Oliver attempted to deny the danger, but Laurel could always tell when he was lying. And Oliver definitely wasn't being totally honest before they left Nanda Parbat.

Diggle would be another asset in developing the plan in rescuing Oliver and Felicity. His past military experience would benefit them greatly. And of course Laurel couldn't forget his wife Lyla. What about her organization ARGUS? Even though Oliver detested working with them, perhaps that was the way to go.

Thinking about all of this, Laurel had to constantly stop the impulse to reach for her phone to ask Felicity her opinion. Laurel hadn't realized how dependent she'd become on the petite blonde for advice and insight until now. Her absence was certainly felt in trying to come up with a plan of rescue. Laurel gave a sigh in frustration, and kneaded her temples. She could feel the beginning of a headache forming as a result of trying to sort out this mess.

Deciding she needed to get some rest, Laurel leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Perhaps an answer will come to her in a dream. One thing was sure, however. She was going to call a meeting of Team Arrow as soon as they landed. And no one was going to leave until they had a working plan on how to extricate one Queen couple out of Nanda Parbat.

**AN: Kinda uncertain with this chapter, but…just going to send this one out there. Sure do appreciate you taking the time to read, and if you have any suggestions, ideas or constructive criticism please share. **


	12. Chapter 12: An Unexpected Visitor

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN:****Thank you for all your reviews for the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well.**

**And a possible trigger warning, an attempted non-con occurs between two sets of "~~A~~A~~". (This is probably overkill...for its not very long or descriptive...but just in case). So if you need to, skip the part in between. **

~~OQ~~

Previously:

_In the afternoon, after her usual lunch in the corner of the computer room, away from the computers, Felicity went back to work. She was pleased with herself that she was still able to give off the appearance of continued obedience and normalcy. After another hour of nondetection, she decided to be brave, and she began to sneak in the other code as she left each system after her infiltration. _

_With each one, she had to remind herself to breath, to act natural. She only let herself to casually look around the room every ten cities or so. The men in the room continued to move around and work as they had been doing all day. Saying a quick prayer of thanksgiving, Felicity continued to work her way down the page of cities' names. _

At the stroke of 5pm, Felicity shut down her computer and gathered the papers into a pile. One of the men, as per the routine of the past ten days, verified the computer was shut off and all papers and pens she had been given were indeed still on the desk. He said goodbye to her, and walked towards the main desk. One of the guards approached Felicity and gave her a small smile. Felicity greeted him in return, and proceeded him out of the room. She then followed the guard waiting outside the door, who preceded her down the various hallways.

Upon reaching her suite, she opened the door and gasped. Oliver, nee Wareeth, was standing at attention in front of the couch. Wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, showing off his wonderful physique, Oliver did present a formidable presence. Felicity resumed walking into the room, closing the door behind her. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slow, she turned around, planting a huge smile on her face. "Hello, Wareeth. How was your day?"

"Very productive. I took out twelve men today."

A shiver went down her back at the coldness in his voice as he made the statement. She hoped he meant he knocked them unconscious and not that he'd killed them. A slight grimace crossed her features which she hid from Wareeth by looking down at the carpet. "That does sound very… productive."

"It's not as good as the day before. I took out fifteen yesterday."

Biting her tongue, Felicity again told herself she wouldn't ask about the condition of the men. She didn't need to know. For once, her filter actually worked. All of a sudden, Felicity realized what Oliver's presence in her room could possibly mean. She was hesitant to hear the answer, but she barreled ahead to find out. "So, why are you here?"

"This is our room. You are my wife. Where else would I be?"

Felicity couldn't argue with that logic. The way Oliver/Wareeth was acting, it reminded her of Spock or Data from the Star Trek universe. Just not as much fun. Slapping herself figuratively, she brought her mind back on track. "No, what are we to be doing now?"

"We are to have supper here tonight. Just us. Master says we need to get to know each other better." Wareeth rose and said, "If you excuse me, I will take a shower before our supper. I didn't get a chance to do so after my matches this afternoon."

Felicity watched as the man left the room before she could ask any further questions. If she didn't know better, she would suspect the man was attempting to create a romantic scene. However, she doubted it, because the man was a robot. Felicity wandered around the room aimlessly, trying to calm her anxious mind. She wasn't sure whether she would be able to get through the next several hours. Suddenly she realized she wasn't thinking far enough ahead. What was to happen after supper? Surely someone could sleep on the couch, if Ra's expected her to share the room with this stranger who used to be her husband. Shaking her head, Felicity decided she would think about all that later. When she found out more from Wareeth as to what Ra's wanted from them.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

They indeed had supper together in "their" room. Wareeth of course couldn't initiate any topics of conversation. He barely could carry on a conversation at all. No, to be fair, he could be interesting, Felicity supposed. That is, if all you wanted to talk about was weaponry and fighting. Once Felicity got him started on those topics, Wareeth spent quite a large amount of time discussing different fighting styles and techniques. Felicity had to put forward quite the effort not to allow her eyes to glaze over and her mind to wander. Especially since his discourse was so...dry and almost scholarly in its presentation. Not like 'her' Oliver at all.

Felicity had turned the stereo system on to the classical music station, so beautiful orchestral music had been playing throughout their meal. Her heart was sick at the thought of sitting in such a romantic setting, in such a luxurious suite, without the man she loved. The man in question appeared unbothered by the long periods of silence between them, when Felicity's mind failed her and she couldn't come up with a topic of conversation, after Wareeth had exhausted the topics of weaponry and fighting.

Finally they were done with supper. Looking at her watch, Felicity observed the time was 7pm. How, she wasn't sure, but she was grateful. Thinking about the options, she decided she needed to continue with the routine she had developed in the ten days of being here. She would spend the next hour or so with various yoga, stretching and aerobic exercises. Even though the thought of doing so in front of Wareeth made her extremely uncomfortable. However, she had no other idea as to how they could spend the time until bedtime. Or at least until the time Wareeth would leave. Because surely he would leave, and sleep…elsewhere. The alternative was just too much for her to bear.

Felicity was about to inform Wareeth of her plans when he stood up and said, "I am to return to the exercise room for several hours of exercise. I shall see you at 9pm." Wareeth abruptly turned, opened the door, and left.

Felicity stared after him in befuddlement. _How strange._ Sighing, she shook her head, and found the desired music for her exercises. Beginning, she allowed her mind to get lost in her activity. The time passed by, as it always did, with her feeling good about the exercises. She then went to take a shower, cognizant of the fact the time was now 8:30pm. After the shower, she again allowed her mind to go numb as she lost herself in the comfortable routine of bedtime. Instead of longing for her husband.

Walking out of the bathroom, she observed Wareeth standing at attention again beside the sofa. He appeared to be freshly showered, wearing a white T-shirt and blue sweatpants. Feeling self-conscious, Felicity nodded hello to him and walked past him to the closet, where she hung up her clothes. She couldn't help wondering why he was still there, and what they would be doing next.

~~A~~A~~

Closing the closet door, Felicity turned around and was surprised to find Oliver standing right behind her. He was now only in his boxers. Felicity took a step back, swallowed as she attempted not to look at his chiseled chest, and said, "Oh, are you ready for bed, then?"

"Yes, and for what we need to do before we go to bed."

Puzzled at first, Felicity asked, "What's that?"

Oliver quickly leaned in for a kiss, but Felicity was able to put her hands on his chest and push him away. "Whoa, what are you doing?"

"Master says we are to start having relations to make an heir."

Felicity felt her eyes about to bug out of her head. "What?" she asked in her 'loud' voice. "No way…Wareeth. No way." She was about to turn away when Oliver grabbed her by the upper arms and forced her back towards him. He leaned in and attempted another kiss when Felicity was able to bring her knee to his groin. As he doubled over, Felicity jumped out of his reach.

~~A~~A~~

"Hell, no! This needs to stop, and it needs to stop now!" She rushed over to the door and opened it. Instead of meeting a guard, Felicity was startled to find Ra's himself standing there. A soft "Oh!" escaped her lips as she took a step back.

"I gather you want to talk to me, Felicity."

A chill went down Felicity's spine. She looked back at Oliver, who was standing there with a puzzled look upon his face. She swallowed, and returned her gaze to Ra's. Taking a breath, she raised her chin and met Ra's' eyes directly. "Who do you think you are, telling Wareeth to…that we…"

"Why do you think you are here, Felicity?"

Indignation rose within her despite the danger she found herself in. "You mean to tell me you actually think I will sleep with that…..that…imposter? That you only want me as a...as a brood mare?"

"It is, after all, part of your role as wife to Ra's…to provide an heir."

Debating internally, Felicity decided on a plan of action she couldn't believe she was going to carry through. However, it was better than the alternative. And she really didn't think she had any other choice. For now. Hopefully she would be able to say it without choking on the words.

"Okay, I understand. However, I...I cannot do this…tonight. Not yet. All I ask is for more time, to become...used to the idea. I don't think that's unreasonable." Felicity controlled the impulse to close her eyes. Instead she continued to look Evil directly in the face and tell a bold-faced lie.

Considering what she had said, Ra's slowly nodded after a minute. "All right, Felicity. I can understand."

"You better tell him we won't have 'relations' until I say so. He wouldn't simply take my word for it."

Ra's nodded and called Wareeth over to the door. Oliver walked over to the door, in his stiff military posture, and stood at attention next to Felicity. Neither his posture nor his facial expression gave away the discomfort he must still be feeling. Felicity could only marvel at how becoming Wareeth had increased Oliver's stoicism to an impossible level.

"Wareeth, I have changed my mind. You are to wait to create an heir until Felicity says she is ready for relations. You are not to try anything before then."

"I understand, Master."

Forcing herself not to show the fear or relief she was feeling, Felicity straightened her back and turned towards Ra's, waiting for his next comment. Ra's gave a small smile with a sideways nod and said, "If you don't have anything else, Felicity, I will leave you to get your rest. You will have another busy day tomorrow with your computers."

After summarily dismissing her, Ra's turned and left, followed by two of his guards. Felicity watched him walk down the hallway for a moment, then felt someone touch her arm. It was the guard stationed outside her door. "Please, ma'am, it's time to go back into your room."

Sighing, Felicity turned and followed Wareeth back into the room. She wasn't surprised to hear the key turn in the lock. But she was taken aback as she watched Wareeth approach the bed, pull the covers back, and crawl into bed.

Fighting the impulse to hurl, Felicity wanted to run away. Or grab the extra pillow and blanket from the closet and sleep on the couch. But she couldn't do that. She did just basically agree she'd get used to the idea, and somehow she knew Ra's would take her sleeping apart from Wareeth as her refusal to not become accustomed to the idea. And possibly change his mind about telling Wareeth to wait to…start trying for an heir.

Straightening her back, and her resolve, Felicity headed for the bed. She took off her robe and laid it at the foot of the bed. Sneaking a glance at the man in her bed, she was at least relieved he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was lying away from her, his gorgeous back towards her, his eyes closed. Was it possible he had already fallen asleep?

Oh how she wanted to run her hands up and down his marvelous back, to again trace the scars found there. To kiss each one of them again. Sighing, she pushed away such traitorous thoughts and got under the covers. She positioned herself away from Wareeth, so they were indeed back to back. Not touching. Luckily it was a king-sized bed. Lots of room. Forcing herself to relax, Felicity attempted to make her mind blank to invite sleep. Dreamless, nonthreatening sleep. One could only hope.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Previously, 10 days before, with Team Arrow:

_Deciding she needed to get some rest, Laurel leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Perhaps an answer will come to her in a dream. One thing was sure, however. She was going to call a meeting of Team Arrow as soon as they landed. And no one was going to leave until they had a working plan on how to extricate one Queen couple out of Nanda Parbat. _

Upon landing, Team Arrow headed for the foundry. They shuffled in, one by one and took a seat in the various chairs around the long computer table. Laurel looked at her team and wondered where they should start. Diggle leaned back in his chair, apparently comfortable with letting her take the lead on this. Roy and Thea looked like they weren't sure why they were there.

"So you really think we can get them out of there?" Roy asked. "I know I was out of it for most of it, but that Ra's seems to be one scary dude you don't want to cross with."

Thea sat back in her chair and glared at her boyfriend. "You're actually going to sit there and say something like that?"

Roy shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just putting it out there." Looking at Diggle he added, "Oliver did tell me not to come get him, remember? He practically made it seem like a promise."

Laurel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like we're supposed to listen to that idiot with the hero complex." Meeting her comrades' eyes, she continued. "You know I'm right. He's always been that way, unwilling to accept help. Even when he was young." A wistful smile crossed her face. "Especially when he was young." Shaking her head, she brought herself back to the present and the task at hand. "No, we're going to go and bring them home."

**AN: Yet another chapter. Progress made in the relationship with Wareeth (in that Felicity understands better what danger she is facing), as well as some progress toward the rescue of the Queens. These chapters go by way too quickly, don't they? Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and tune in the next time. We shall soon see what Team Arrow plans in order to get the Queens out of there. **


	13. Chapter 13: Another Talk with Ra's

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN:****I wish to thank everyone who has been reading and following this story. I sure do appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this new chapter. **

Previously:

_Straightening her back, and her resolve, Felicity headed for the bed. She took off her robe and laid it at the foot of the bed. Sneaking a glance at the man in her bed, she was at least relieved he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was lying away from her, his gorgeous back towards her, his eyes closed. Was it possible he had already fallen asleep?_

_Oh how she wanted to run her hands up and down his marvelous back, to again trace the scars found there. To kiss each one of them again. Sighing, she pushed away such traitorous thoughts and got under the covers. She positioned herself away from Wareeth, so they were indeed back to back. Not touching. Luckily it was a king-sized bed. Lots of room. Forcing herself to relax, Felicity attempted to make her mind blank to invite sleep. Dreamless, nonthreatening sleep. One could only hope. _

Felicity stretched out in her sleep, luxuriating in the comfort of being cocooned in the embrace of two heavily muscled arms around her waist. She reveled in the feeling of the strong body behind hers, and feeling the safest she'd ever felt. In such a short period of time, she had become quite accustomed to waking up in such a manner, in Oliver's arms. She snuggled deeper into his embrace, breathing in his scent, soaking up his presence. Felicity was about to fall back asleep when reality hit her suddenly. Her eyes flew open as she remembered it wasn't Oliver sleeping next to her, cuddling her, it was Wareeth.

She leaped out of bed, barely avoiding tripping clumsily over the bedsheets. As Wareeth shifted position and gave a little sound, Felicity realized, on second thought, perhaps her sudden movements weren't the smartest idea, but Wareeth didn't awaken. _One good thing about all of this. I've never seen Oliver sleep more restful. But oh at what a cost._ Felicity shook her head.

Just when she thought she was in the clear, Wareeth chose that moment to open his eyes. Finding Felicity staring at him from the side of the bed, his brows knit together, his eyes questioning. Felicity shook herself, trying to regain a sense of normalcy. "Good morning. How did you sleep?" Felicity prayed her greeting would be enough to distract him; otherwise, she had no excuse why she was standing next to the bed like she was.

Felicity watched as Wareeth stretched his long, lean frame in the bed before swinging his toned legs over the edge and sitting up. "I indeed slept the required amount of hours in order to feel fully rested. I am ready for the day." Looking at his watch, Wareeth said, "If you don't mind, I will shower first. Master will be expecting me in the exercise room soon."

Wareeth rose, went to the closet, selected some fresh clothing and entered the bathroom. Felicity's lips pursed into a thin line, and she gave a small huff of frustration. She couldn't believe she had found herself in the position she had been this morning. Before she could explode, Felicity began to pace the room, to release the nervous energy inside of her.

All of a sudden she didn't know if she could keep doing all of this. Perhaps Ra's had indeed been serious about his earlier offer to send her home. Maybe she could go home, stop dealing with all of this emotional upheaval, and instigate a rescue of Oliver from there. And avoid all of this mess with Oliver…Wareeth...

Just thinking of waking up in Wareeth's arms gave her the willies. How could she have done that? Her mind (or should she say a certain part of her anatomy) then went to a place she really didn't expect. Would it _really_ be that bad, to….to…see what sex was like with Oliver in this mode of behavior? To see whether he'd actually be...robotic, clinical, detached...in his lovemaking? Felicity immediately figuratively slapped herself in the head. How_ could_ she even consider such a thing? She rolled her eyes. It was only she missed Oliver so much, and they had waited so very long before beginning their relationship, and their time together had been so short, and the sex had been so very good. So very good indeed….She blushed a deep red at the thought of how good it was. And, oh, how much she missed it.

Felicity began to pace again. No. She wouldn't do it. She shouldn't do it. She couldn't do it. The stress of trying to have a so-called normal relationship with…with the robot who was now her husband was getting to her. That's why she was thinking such crazy thoughts. She already had enough, and it was only the second day. She was truly going insane with all of this stress.

A knock on the door revealed a guard standing there. "Master requests you join him for breakfast this morning. We shall return for you in half an hour."

"What about Oli...Wareeth?"

"No. He is to proceed to the exercise room."

Felicity was about to protest when the guard left. It wouldn't have made a difference, anyway. She walked over to the bed, grabbed her pillow, buried her face, and screamed. How was she expected to sit through yet another meal with Evil Incarnate? And this time alone, without the comforting presence of Oliver, even if he was Wareeth?

Of course Wareeth would choose this moment to enter the room. "Is everything all right, Felicity?"

Felicity shivered at the mention of her name. It just wasn't right, coming from Wareeth's lips. She had always loved when Oliver said her name, in the multiple types of ways in which he would say it. And now? Now, it only gave her the creeps, hearing it said without Oliver's characteristic warmth behind it.

"Yes, everything is okay. Are you done?"

When Wareeth nodded, Felicity grabbed her things and quickly went into the bathroom. Unfortunately, Ra's was expecting her for breakfast, not allowing any more time to be wasted on such foolish thoughts. She'll think about all of this…later. After getting through breakfast with Evil Incarnate.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Upon entering the dining room, Felicity found Ra's indeed sitting at the head of the table once again. Try as she might, Felicity knew she couldn't completely hide her disgust from him as she took a seat across from him at the table.

"Good morning, Felicity. How did you sleep?"

Felicity wondered what it meant by his using her first name consistently now, instead of Mrs. Queen. Funny how she hadn't realized it last night.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Felicity replied, "Quite well, thank you." The thought crossed her mind again about the possibility of hidden cameras in the room, making Felicity wonder if he knew she had slept in Wareeth's arms.

She waited until two servants brought them their plates, and Ra's began to eat. Picking up her fork, Felicity pushed the food around on her plate.

"You really need to eat something, Felicity."

"Why are you calling me by my first name now?" Obviously her brain to mouth filter wasn't working this morning.

Ra's smiled in what could have been seen as benevolently if it didn't come from a master criminal. "Because we're family now, Felicity."

Of all possible answers, Felicity didn't expect that one. Her eyes closed involuntarily, and a shudder went down her back. She quickly opened them only to find Ra's still smiling at her. Finding her resolve, Felicity said, "I suppose so." She made a show of spearing a piece of scrambled egg, bringing the fork to her mouth, and taking the bite. Felicity hoped but doubted she displayed a nonchalance she wasn't feeling.

Ra's took several bites of his own breakfast before continuing the conversation. "I wanted to talk to you this morning about what happened last night."

"I thought it was settled." Felicity couldn't help but sense a change in Ra's' attitude, and she didn't like it. All senses alert, she waited for his next remark.

"I wanted to know whether you do indeed plan on going through with it." He put his fork down and looked at her directly. "Eventually."

Of course Felicity knew what he meant by "it". At first she was tempted to pretend otherwise, but decided she was tired of playing games. Felicity forced herself to look Ra's directly in the eye and said, "Yes, I do. Because obviously I have no choice."

"You do possess a remarkable amount of strength within you, Felicity."

"You have no idea."

"Most women wouldn't be as brave."

"What? Agree to consider to willingly sleep with someone instead of being raped?"

"I wouldn't phrase it in such an uncouth fashion."

"Of course you wouldn't," Felicity mumbled under her breath before she could stop herself. Bravely she looked at Ra's and said, "Well, I would."

"So I was right. You're not exactly on board with being the supportive spouse as I hoped you would be."

Ra's' eyes bored into her as if they were reaching down into her very soul. Felicity could barely refrain from reacting to the massive chills going down her back. Oh how she wished she had Oliver's assistance in facing this enemy! She debated what her answer should be, for she sensed a ground-breaking change was about to occur.

Controlling her voice, Felicity said calmly, "I wouldn't say that. Like I said last night, I just need time to get used to the idea. I do still love Oli...Wareeth. Of course I want to make our marriage work...here, since this is where we are...here."

Felicity knew she was as a bad a liar as Oliver could be, but prayed this time her subterfuge wouldn't be sensed by the most dangerous criminal in the world.

"I appreciate the effort, Felicity, as well as the intent, of your assertion."

_Oh crap._

"I can only hope your enthusiasm for your hacking into the city records is more sincere than your feelings regarding the carrying out of your duties as Wareeth's spouse."

_Oh crap, oh crap. He doesn't believe me._

"Do not worry, Felicity. As long as I see progress in both areas, you have nothing to fear."

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap._

Felicity watched as Ra's again picked up his fork and resumed eating. She waited for further statements, or a look, or….something. Ra's continued to eat his breakfast without looking at her. Felicity sensed he had made the points he had intended to make during the meal. Try as she might, her filter failed her again. "What do you mean by that, Ra's?"

"You are making significant progress with the computer work. Please continue making such progress, and we will have that part of the plan accomplished ahead of schedule." Ra's picked up a piece of toast and began to eat it. "And regarding the physical aspects of the relationship with Wareeth? I expect progress there as well."

Luckily her filter didn't fail her; otherwise she would've asked how exactly he would measure progress in that area. Felicity nodded and forced herself to eat several more bites of her scrambled eggs. Ra's finished the toast, drank the rest of his coffee, and set his napkin on the side of his plate.

"Felicity, I hope you will continue to eat your breakfast. I better go check on Wareeth's progress in the training room. I will talk to you tomorrow."

Felicity watched as Ra's rose and left the dining room. She couldn't believe she had survived the meal. The stress of meeting the threat known as Ra's head-on had her almost at her breaking point. She could almost see her head exploding at one point, literally exploding, like into a million little pieces. If she had to endure many more encounters like this one, Felicity was sure her head would truly explode. And that wouldn't be good. She couldn't do her computer work without her head, could she? And certainly not get her and Oliver out of here.

Shaking her head at her weird attempt at humor, she massaged her temples as she attempted to gather herself together. She was expected to once again perform an entire day's of hacking. There was no alternative. And then face another evening with Wareeth, she assumed. All for Oliver, she kept reminding herself. All for Oliver.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will let me know what you thought of it in a review. It's always greatly appreciated. I hope you are finding Ra's to be as scary as I'm trying to portray him to be. I wanted him to be even more threatening than what we got on the show. So hope to see you next time!**


	14. Chapter 14: Implementing a Plan

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN:****I wish to thank everyone who has been reading and following this story. I sure do appreciate it. I also would like to thank Naitch03 for a suggestion he had made which I included in this story. Even though it wasn't for this story, I decided to use it here. More information at the end of this chapter, to avoid spoilers. Ha. Please enjoy this next chapter!**

Previously:

_Roy shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just putting it out there." Looking at Diggle he added, "Oliver did tell me not to come get him, remember? He practically made it seem like a promise."_

_Laurel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like we're supposed to listen to that idiot with the hero complex." Meeting her comrades' eyes, she continued. "You know I'm right. He's always been that way, unwilling to accept help. Even when he was young." A wistful smile crossed her face. "Especially when he was young." Shaking her head, she brought herself back to the present and the task at hand. "No, we're going to go and bring them home."_

"And how do we do that, exactly, Laurel?"

Laurel looked at Diggle, and sighed. "I was hoping you would have some ideas." At Diggle's look, Laurel continued, refusing to be intimidated. "I think we could use Lyla's assistance, as well as perhaps ARGUS."

"ARGUS?" Diggle shook his head. "Oliver wouldn't want that."

"I know Oliver probably wouldn't be happy about their involvement. Waller's involvement. But having him here mad at us is better than him not here at all." Laurel looked at the others, silently asking for agreement. "Don't you think?"

"Let's think this through. I don't think we can just go in, get Oliver and Felicity out of there, and expect Ra's to leave us all alone." Diggle paused for effect then continued. "So, what are our options? We either have to convince Ra's to leave us alone, or we kill him."

Thea said, "I'm not sure I like either option."

"Me neither. With ARGUS' help, we may be more likely to make the second option happen, though," Roy offered.

Laurel muttered, "Maybe it would be best." She looked up at the men. "Like Roy said, the most likely to be successful."

"Since Waller likes JDAM'S so much, and so anxious to use them all the time, maybe once we get out of there with Oliver and Felicity, maybe we can convince her to drop one on Nanda Parbat," Roy suggested.

Diggle leaned across the table and back-slapped Roy. "Be serious, why don't you?"

"I was. Why not? Then we're rid of that threat once and for all."

Laurel shook her head in disgust. "Whatever we decide, it wouldn't matter unless we get them out of there first. So how'd we do it?"

Thea spoke up. "I hesitate to suggest this, knowing how you all feel about him, but what about Malcolm?"

"I'm sorry, Thea, but hell no," Diggle said with quiet but iron-filled conviction.

"But he knows Nanda Parbat, having lived there for years."

"Can we trust him? How can we trust him? I know he's your dad, but...?" Roy asked.

Eyes grave and lips drawn tightly, Diggle pondered the suggestion. "Hell no. We can't trust that SOB." Looking quickly at Thea, he added, "Sorry, but..."

"Hey, I get it. I don't trust him completely half the time either." Thea shrugged. "What else can we do? It seems to me either Waller or Malcolm. Which devil is better?"

As a group everyone seemed to sigh and slouch a little in their chairs. After a silent minute, Diggle said, "Ok, Thea, you check with Malcolm. Feel him out, see what he thinks and whether he has any possible ideas." He looked at Laurel, who gave him a slight nod. "I'll go have a talk with Waller. Assess the situation with her and see whether we should proceed with her." Rising he said, "Everyone, stay in touch. And be careful...just in case."

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Previously:

_Felicity watched as Ra's rose and left the dining room. She couldn't believe she had survived the meal. The stress of meeting the threat known as Ra's head-on had her almost at her breaking point. She could almost see her head exploding at one point, literally exploding, like into a million little pieces. If she had to endure many more encounters like this one, Felicity was sure her head would truly explode. And that wouldn't be good. She couldn't do her computer work without her head, could she? And certainly not get her and Oliver out of here. _

_Shaking her head at her weird attempt at humor, she massaged her temples as she attempted to gather herself together. She was expected to once again perform an entire day's of hacking. There was no alternative. And then face another evening with Wareeth, she assumed. All for Oliver, she kept reminding herself. All for Oliver._

Felicity made her way to the computer room in a daze, lost in thought. One particular idea refused to leave her mind. What if Oliver's memories could be jogged by their relationship? Especially their...physical relationship? According to cliché (or more accurately, her TV shows), it could be as simple as a phrase or as complicated as a set of circumstances which could return Oliver's memories back to him. If that were really the case, which should she gamble on? Trying to jog his memory with conversation and reminiscing, or through lovemaking?

The really surprising thing was her reconsidering sleeping with Robot Oliver. Logically it only made sense, because he did everything else in a robotic fashion, making love would be like that as well. Still, there was this stubborn, hopeful, Pollyanna-ish thought that, within all they had shared over the years, the love they have, the memory of his true self would be awakened.

Really, what should she do? How could she prompt the return of Oliver's memory? Was it even possible? If only she had access to her computer, she could research possible options. The only resource she had to draw on was her vast knowledge of TV shows, which a logical person would argue wasn't very practical in this instance.

Looking up, Felicity realized one of the guards was watching her. Huffing in disgust, Felicity turned the page to the next city's information. She really had to get herself under control. And there's no better way of controlling sexual frustration than to do some good old-fashioned hacking. Or she told herself as she turned her attention to the task in front of her.

Surprisingly enough, Felicity got a remarkable amount of work completed. It did help to lose herself in her work. However, once she had reached her room, the troublesome thoughts resumed once again. This time she collapsed onto the sofa and stared at the armchair across from her. Slumping, she braced her chin on her hand and continued to ruminate her choices. After some thought, she made a decision. She would first start with throwing in hints of their shared lives together into the supper conversation, then…

If that didn't work, Felicity would then think about the next step. Which might not be awful. It would still be Oliver. Even if it isn't really Oliver.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

"So, tell me Wareeth, do you remember anything from your previous life?"

Felicity found herself sitting at the table with Wareeth, struggling to maintain conversation again. At least she was happy to see Oli…Wareeth continue to eat with a healthy appetite. He needed to replace all those calories she was sure he was using in his daily wartime exercises.

"Master says we are not to talk about my previous life." Wareeth answered, while continuing to eat. Despite her best efforts, Wareeth was successfully avoiding eye contact most of the time.

Felicity wasn't surprised by his answer. "But why not? That's what we have in common. How we met in a coffee shop in a bad neighborhood, where your computer ended up filled with bullet holes."

"No, he says we should not talk about such things."

"It'll only be between us. I keep your secrets."

"Felicity, we are not to talk about such things. Why don't you tell me about your day? I told you about my day yesterday, and Master says I should have you talk more."

A chill went down Felicity's spine. Maybe her plan was too dangerous. "Um, does your Master listen to us here?"

Wareeth stopped his fork mid-way to his mouth and looked at Felicity. With a blank expression in his eyes, he said, "No, he asked about what we talked about, and I told him."

"Okay, we can talk about something else. If it's you asking, I'll do it."

_Still no recognition in those beautiful, blank, blue eyes. _

Felicity sighed. "Well, I've been doing a lot of computer hacking for Ra's, as you know. Felicity Smoak. M.I.T. Class of '09. Hacking is my middle name." Struggling, Felicity attempted to throw in more lines. "Been looking into some countries as well, such as Russia. But I can't talk about it, for what happens in Russia stays in Russia."

"You have?"

"Yeah, and I was thinking Italy would be next. Because everyone loves Italian."

That remark actually caused the wooden expression to disappear from Wareeth's face and be replaced with a small, but still recognizable, crinkle in his eyebrows, which just as quickly disappeared. "What are you talking about, Felicity? I don't think I understand."

"I'm sorry, Wareeth, I guess I'm tired. When I'm tired, I tend to babble. Babble, babble, babble."

Wareeth maintained the eye lock for five more seconds then dropped his gaze to his plate and resumed eating. Felicity gave a small sigh of dismay. It almost worked.

Felicity decided she'd better not drop any more hints at the moment. There was still the possibility Ra's was watching or listening in and would barge in at any moment. They finished the meal in silence, and Wareeth left for the gym as he'd done the previous night. Felicity sat with her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand, staring at the dirty dishes lost in thought.

Now, should she implement the second part of her plan when Wareeth return? Part of her, the naughty part, was somewhat intrigued about what it would be like, if she did go through with it. Even though she had her doubts about it working, Felicity couldn't think of anything else. Besides…it was probably better than the alternative.

Wishing she had a good glass of wine (or several), Felicity began her exercise routine again. Working even harder to get her mind off of her anxieties, she allowed her mind to get lost in the routine. After, she took a nice long relaxing shower, to get out the kinks. The breakfast with Ra's really did stress her out. A lot. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion came over her.

It was only 8pm, but Felicity decided to lie down on the bed to wait for Wareeth. Once he returned to the room, she would proceed with the second part of her plan. Lying on her back, looking up at the ceiling, she attempted several meditation techniques Diggle had taught her. And fell asleep.

**AN: Yes, Naitch03 suggested Waller use a drone on Nanda Parbat while reviewing my other story "Arrow Not as It Appears". Not sure whether he's reading this story, but I wish to thank him here for the suggestion anyway and acknowledge his assistance. We shall see if they do decide to go that way, but I wanted to throw out the possibility. Regarding this chapter, sure hope you enjoyed it and will let me know what you thought of it in a review. It's always greatly appreciated. **


	15. Chapter 15: A Return

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN:****Thank you for returning! I sure do appreciate it. Let's see what those crazy kids are up to now. **

Previously:

_As a group everyone seemed to sigh and slouch a little in their chairs. After a silent minute, Diggle said, "Ok, Thea, you check with Malcolm. Feel him out, see what he thinks and whether he has any possible ideas." He looked at Laurel, who gave him a slight nod. "I'll go have a talk with Waller. Assess the situation with her and see whether we should proceed with her." Rising he said, "Everyone, stay in touch. And be careful...just in case."_

Members of the team staggered in after completing their assignments. Once everyone had arrived, Diggle looked at them and said, "So what do we know?"

Thea spoke up first. "Malcolm has agreed to help us. He does believe we have a very good chance of succeeding…if we work together." Thea looked around the table. "I understand all of your concerns. I have them as well. However, in this case, I do believe we can trust him. Malcolm will have our backs."

Diggle looked at the others, waited, and then said, "Well, Amanda wasn't too thrilled about helping us. Actually she said she'd rather not. 'Too complicated', she said." Diggle's eyes turned thunderous" "Whatever that means."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think I trust Merlyn more than Amanda," Laurel said.

"I for one am pleasantly surprised and flattered to hear you say that, Ms. Lance," Malcolm said, emerging from the darkness of the stairs.

"Dad! I asked you to wait until I got you," Thea said.

"Sorry, Thea, but I knew these guys would eventually accept my help, though grudgingly, despite our past history."

"Malcolm," was Diggle's terse reply.

"John."

"Like I said, only my friends call me John," Diggle said with thunder still in his eyes, now directed at the newcomer.

"I apologize, Mr. Diggle. I suggest we get down to business. I have brought plans regarding our excursion into Ra's' fortress that I would like to discuss with you."

Diggle, Roy and Laurel exchanged glances again. Roy sighed and said, "I say, let's go with it. We got to get Oliver and Felicity out of there."

The plan seemed simple and straightforward. There were old catacombs leading into the Fortress. Ones hardly anyone knew about any more. Malcolm had discovered them during his stay years ago when he first joined the League.

"I'm certain no one knows I know of their existence. We can sneak through them, at a time when I know there would be less soldiers around, take down whatever guards we need to, and find the honeymooners."

Diggle looked at Thea. "You told him?"

Thea shrugged. "Kinda had to, to explain why Felicity was there too."

Malcolm glared at Diggle. "Come on, Mr. Diggle. What is more important, continue snapping at me or getting those two out of Ra's grip?"

Diggle considered his words for a moment then grudgingly nodded his head. He sat down at the conference table, and motioned the others to join him as well. "Let's hear more about this plan, Merlyn."

"Do you need an extra hand?"

All five of them jumped at the new voice. Turning as a unit, they observed Nyssa walking towards them. Diggle turned to Laurel with a question on his face.

"Yes, I contacted her. I thought she could also help."

"Again, can we trust her?"

"Mr. Diggle, yes, you can. Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and at the moment my father is our mutual opponent."

"Just so we are clear, why is that?"

"Obviously because I want to be my father's heir. I do not want anyone to usurp it from me, no matter who it is." A small smile crossed her face. "Especially if it is one Oliver Queen."

Diggle nodded, then he split his look between Nyssa and Malcolm. "The next question is, can you both work together?"

The two individuals in question exchanged glances. Malcolm broke the silence first. "I don't see a problem."

Nyssa said through lips drawn tightly, "I will do what is necessary."

Diggle looked at both of them again and gave a disgusted snort. "Whatever. So, Malcolm, why don't you continue telling us this plan of yours?" Looking around the table he added, "Or are we expecting anyone else?"

He was met with a series of head shakes. Malcolm proceeded to lay out his plan, and the group began to review the details.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Previously:

_Wishing she had a good glass of wine (or several), Felicity began her exercise routine again. Working even harder to get her mind off of her anxieties, she allowed her mind to get lost in the routine. After, she took a nice long relaxing shower, to get out the kinks. The breakfast with Ra's really did stress her out. A lot. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion came over her. _

_It was only 8pm, but Felicity decided to lie down on the bed to wait for Wareeth. Once he returned to the room, she would proceed with the second part of her plan. Lying on her back, looking up at the ceiling, she attempted several meditation techniques Diggle had taught her. And fell asleep. _

Felicity was having a most wonderful dream. She was with Oliver in his loft in Starling, spending a lazy afternoon watching movies. Cuddling on the couch. Beginning to make love….she was kissing his neck, his chest, his abs…

And Oliver then began to kiss her as well…

Felicity lost herself in the feelings his kisses always elicited, and began to be carried away….when she realized, it wasn't a dream.

A squeal escaped from her as she pulled away from Wareeth by instinct, catching his gaze. "Oh...I'm sorry. I was...I was dreaming."

Wareeth gave her a gaze reminiscent of one Oliver would give her when trying to communicate nonverbally. He leaned over, casually moved his left hand over her mouth, and whispered, "It's okay, Felicity. I remember now."

His words took a moment to fully sink into her brain. As he stroked her cheek with his other hand, her eyes widened, she stifled a gasp, and cocked her head. Oliver quickly captured her lips with his, muffling her cry.

"I began to remember last night," he whispered as his lips pulled away from hers and he nibbled her ear. Felicity struggled to act normal, but her mind was frozen. "All I could think of last evening during my exercise session was your conversation over supper." He slowly dropped kisses along her jaw line and down her throat. "I almost got my head chopped off when it finally all clicked into place." His warm breath caressing her cheek as he whispered, as well as his kisses, were driving her crazy.

"Mmm, Oliver, as much as I'm enjoying this, I…"

"Don't know for sure, but there might be cameras." He stopped kissing her and captured her gaze. "Let's take a shower."

Felicity nodded, and followed him into the bathroom. Oliver turned on the water, closed the shower curtain, and turned back to Felicity.

"I almost wasn't going to tell you I got my memory back, but…"

"My dirty mind had to go spoil it."

Oliver smiled. "I'm thankful for that dirty mind. One of the things I love most about you, you know."

Suddenly recalling the seriousness of their situation, Felicity asked, "How are you? How did the brainwashing happen?"

"I'll tell you about that some other time. I'm…"

"If you say fine, I'm going to.…"

"But, I am, Felicity. I _am _fine. Well, besides feeling like my mind is Swiss cheese. Especially last night. Sleeping helped. Waking up to your kisses helped even more."

Felicity felt a blush go up her cheeks, and she rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I think you're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

"I hope not, for a very long time." A shiver went down her back. Yes, they had to escape in order to get their happily-ever-after ending.

"Well, what do we do now?"

"I have to act like Wareeth. And you..."

"Have to keep from jumping up and down because my husband's back. I've missed you oh so much."

Taking her in his arms, Oliver bestowed a kiss on the top of her head. "Me too." Leaning down, he captured her lips in one more desperate kiss which ended far too soon for Felicity's taste. "I wish I could take you back to bed and show you how much, but Ra's is expecting me."

"Tonight, then?"

"Tonight."

And for the first time in two weeks she saw again Oliver's beautiful smile. "Wow, how much I've missed that smile."

Oliver gave her one last quick kiss. "I'll just jump in the shower quick. Stay in here?"

"I'd rather join you in the shower, but..."

"No time," was said simultaneously.

Felicity knew her staying in the bathroom was to cover up their conversation under the cover of having sex in the shower. In case of cameras. And before she knew it, Oliver asked for a towel and got out of the shower.

"Why don't you get in now?"

Felicity shrugged and proceeded to wash herself in the quickest way possible. _Just like a firefighter, I suppose._ Felicity rolled her eyes. Her brain did indeed come up with the weirdest things at times. She quickly rinsed off but kept the shower on. She reached beyond the curtain and grabbed a towel as she stepped out. As she was drying off, Felicity caught Oliver sneaking a peek. She shook her head as he shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for enjoying the view." He sighed as he handed her robe from the back of the door. "No time for anything else."

"So."

"So."

"What are you going to do about breakfast?"

"We stop mid-morning for a break. At least that's what the pattern has been. Ra's says it helps the digestion to exercise before 'breaking the fast'."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "I suppose. I hope we eat supper together tonight. Even though it's going to be difficult, having to play-act." She blushed a little. "But I suppose you'll have a more difficult time. You have to pretend to be robot Oliver."

Oliver smiled. "'Robot' Oliver?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Is that going to be a problem? Do you remember what all has happened over the past two weeks? How you've been acting?"

"Don't worry, Felicity. I'm quite good at acting, remember? Being undercover? So…"

Felicity studied his face. "I guess so." She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "I suppose I better let you go."

"I suppose. I will see you tonight." Felicity reluctantly let him out of her grasp. Oliver reached over and shut off the shower. He then, quite unnecessarily in Felicity's opinion, pressed a finger to his lips to remind her to be quiet.

"I shall see you later, Felicity. My master waits for me." Smiling, Oliver winked. Felicity smiled in relief. He had spoken in 'robot' Oliver's monotone. She gave him a "thumbs up". He gave her one final smile and left to get dressed in the other room.

She sighed and proceeded finishing getting ready for the day.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Oliver was nervous about the first time facing Ra's since breaking his mind control. However he was also somewhat confident in his ability to carry it off. He just had to remind himself to be monotone and automatic in both voice and deed.

He should have been prepared for Ra's' question, granted the significance of the change in their behavior this morning. Or, more specifically, Felicity's behavior. Suddenly Oliver was afraid their choice of a ruse to cover up their conversation was dangerously wrong.

"Well done, Wareeth. I don't know what happened but I'm glad you've convinced Felicity to have relations with you. Quite unorthodox, the shower however. I did not expect that."

Willing his face expressionless, Oliver answered, "I had done some reading on mating rituals, and the shower was highly suggested." _Man, my stories still need work._

Reminding himself to breathe normally, Oliver waited for Ra's' reply.

**AN: I know, I'm slightly evil with that cliffhanger. But I really want to get this chapter out to you. Hope you enjoyed it and return to see what's going to happen next.**


	16. Chapter 16: New Developments

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you so much for returning to my story, and for all the reviews, favs and follows. ****Please enjoy this next exciting chapter in the Queens adventure.**

Previously:

_Diggle looked at both of them again and gave a disgusted snort. "Whatever. So, Malcolm, why don't you continue telling us this plan of yours?" Looking around the table he added, "Or are we expecting anyone else?"_

_He was met with a series of head shakes. Malcolm proceeded to lay out his plan, and the group began to review the details. _

Even though Amanda had refused to outright assist them, Lyla was able to convince her to 'lend' them a pilot and an airplane to transport the team to Nanda Parbat. Malcolm laid out a plan for them to infiltrate the fortress and take the guards by surprise in the middle of the night.

It was a unanimous decision for all hands to be on deck for this rescue mission. Thea and Roy, Nyssa and Malcolm, Diggle and Lyla, Laurel and Ted and Ray would make up the contingent. Diggle wasn't excited about Lyla's participation, but she had threatened all sorts of things affecting their happy home if she didn't go along. Ted was happy to help out, despite his limited participation in recent Arrow missions. Ray was excited about putting his suit to work in the field, being happy with recent results in his trial runs.

On the plane ride Malcolm once again reviewed the plan. Upon arrival, the rest would wait in a cave on the outskirts of the estate Nyssa knew about while she and Malcolm made contact with a source inside the Fortress. If all clear, they would wait until 2am to enter, find Oliver and Felicity, and leave. Hopefully without Ra's being the wiser.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Previously:

_"Well done, Wareeth. I don't know what happened but I'm glad you've convinced Felicity to have relations with you. Quite unorthodox, the shower however. I did not expect that."_

_Willing his face expressionless, Oliver answered, "I had done some reading on mating rituals, and the shower was highly suggested." _

_Reminding himself to breathe normally, Oliver waited for Ra's' reply._

To Oliver's relief, Ra's simply shrugged and said, "Like I said, well done. And was Felicity happy with the results?"

Oliver's stomach turned at the question. Discussing his love life with this...man...was as disgusting a thing as he'd ever had to do. However Oliver was able to maintain a passive mask and answer in Wareeth's monotone, "Yes, she apparently was well pleased. She suggested we mate again tonight."

Ra's nodded solemnly. "Are you ready for another day of combat maneuvers, Wareeth?"

Oliver nodded silently and approached the boxing ring, where his opponent was waiting for him. He breathed a little bit easier, now that the initial meeting with Ra's was over. Ra's hadn't acted any differently and appeared not to suspect anything was different with his 'heir'. All other thoughts flew out of his mind as his opponent engaged him in a fierce battle. Meeting the strikes with ones of his own, Oliver was able to defend himself without much effort.

Because of this, Oliver missed the reflective gleam appearing in Ra's' eyes as he observed Wareeth. His lips curved slightly upward in a tight-lipped smile as he continued to watch. Suddenly he sat up a little straighter, and his eyes narrowed. Calling one of his servants over, Ra's gave him instructions to be carried out later in the evening.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

For Felicity, the day proceeded pretty much as the previous day did. Except she found herself occasionally humming to herself. Several times she caught one of the guards looking at her, and she would stop. _I just can't wait until tonight. But why oh why can't I be quiet? I can't give us away.__I can't appear to be too happy after supposedly having sex with a 'robot'. _

Felicity looked up in alarm at the guard by the door. He was still reading his newspaper, and didn't appear to have heard her say anything. She breathed a sigh of relief; again, she hadn't spoken out loud.

She continued to sneak in her hidden programs into her hacking. Reminding herself not to get cocky, Felicity decided to decrease the amount of messages she was encoding, alternating every other city database. The afternoon was sure to go by so slowly, she thought, stifling a sigh. But it'll certainly be worth the wait.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

Felicity returned to their suite at 5pm once again. She suddenly got a rush of nerves, making her feel like she was going to burst out of her skin at any moment. _It's just Oliver. I can act like nothing has changed. I can, and will, do this._

She was sitting on the couch, listening to music, when Oliver entered the room. It was only because of the blank look he gave her that prevented her from rushing into his arms and tackling him. For a moment she was scared he had been brainwashed again, for it was exactly the same blank look he'd been wearing the past three weeks, but when he was standing in front of her, Wareeth winked very rapidly. Pursing her lips together to prevent the gigantic smile and a joyful giggle threatening to burst through, Felicity nodded at the man in front of her.

"Hello, Felicity. How was your day?"

"Very well, Wareeth. I was able to get much computer hacking done."

"Join me for another shower," and before she knew it, Oliver had pulled her into the bathroom.

Oliver again turned the shower on. He enveloped Felicity in a hug and took a moment to breathe in her presence.

"How'd it all go?" He heard Felicity's muffled question from against his shoulder. He reluctantly pulled out of her embrace.

"It seems okay. He expressed surprise about the shower sex but he praised me for my ingenuity."

A shudder involuntarily passed through Felicity. "Ew. Him talking about our sex life so gives me the heebie geebies."

Oliver's eyes took on a sympathetic glow as he looked down at her. "Yeah, I know. I'm not too happy with it either. But until we can devise an escape plan..."

"You have to keep acting like Robot Oliver."

"And we have to be very careful."

"Are you sure he might have our rooms bugged? But you don't know for certain?"

"No. When I think back, he really didn't confide in me at all, over the past few weeks. I don't know if it was because he didn't completely trust me or if it was because he doesn't usually confide in anyone."

Felicity released some pent-up air. "Well, there goes my hope in your knowing something useful."

At Oliver's half-shocked, half-humorous expression, Felicity rushed to add, "Oops, I meant...I mean..."

Smiling Oliver gave her a quick peck on the lips. "That's ok, dear. I know what you meant. And I agree. I know some of the lay-out of the Fortress, and how he rotates the guards, but...not much else."

"I've been sneaking several S.O.S. messages within my hacking, as well as several small programs to stop the hacking when Ra's attempts to use my information."

"What?" Oliver grabbed her forearms and faced her. "Why'd you do that? That was too dangerous to try."

"I had to do something, Oliver. I didn't know what else to do. Ra's wants to destroy our country."

"I know," Oliver released her arms and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know." Swallowing hard, Oliver said, "Just be careful." Looking at his watch, he said, "We better jump in the shower quickly. We can't be in here too long."

After they each had taken a quick shower and wrapped themselves in the robes found hanging on the back of the door, they went back to the sitting room.

Almost immediately there was a knock on the door. Felicity's look of shock was met with a raised eyebrow and a shrug from Oliver. He tightened the belt of his robe and answered the knock. A servant entered pushing a cart with what appeared to be their supper. He brought the cart over to the couch, nodded to Oliver and left. Felicity sauntered over and looked over the cart with interest. She lifted the plate covers and gave a little shriek. "Oh, this does look especially good tonight." She looked at Oliver and shrugged. "I guess we're eating here again tonight."

They sat down and enjoyed a meal of grilled teriyaki chicken breasts with rice, steamed vegetables, and a side salad. Felicity was happier than she had been in weeks, with Oliver beside her once again. However, she had to keep a tight rein on her mouth, for she had to keep up the ruse of "robot Oliver". Luckily, Oliver was very good at keeping up the pretense. He was very sneaky in helping her steer the conversation to safe topics while at the same time maintaining the cover of "robot Oliver".

Oliver was also able to sneak in a few more details regarding his day, and what he had been doing. Felicity was able to bring up some topics to discuss as well, remembering she should connect their conversation with what she did last night, to throw off any suspicion. If Ra's was indeed listening.

They hadn't discussed when they would actually be able to make love. Felicity could barely contain her excitement, because she thought they could do that after supper. She even controlled herself not to play "footsie" with Oliver under the table. It just was too dangerous to risk, given how astute Ra's was in picking up nonverbal communications. However, she was disappointed with Oliver's next comment.

As he took his last bite of supper, Oliver said, "I am sorry, Felicity but I again need to return to the exercise room tonight. Master wants to continue with working on maneuvers tonight."

"Oh. I thought we could….that we might…" Felicity was unable to hide her disappointment in either her face or voice.

"We will be able to have relations again tonight before we go to sleep. I did enjoy what we did earlier, though."

Felicity choked, his remark taking her by surprise. She looked at Oliver and thought she saw a glimmer of amusement cross his face quickly. "Are you all right, Felicity? What made you choke?"

Felicity couldn't help glaring at him for a moment. She blinked several times and answered in a forced calm voice, "I guess the water went down the wrong way." Quickly forcing herself to say something else, all she could come up with was "I look forward to your return then, Wareeth."

Felicity began to lean towards Oliver, wishing to kiss him, but remembered just in time. They weren't able to do that, yet. Oliver covered it up with a "Well, I better go now."

Felicity watched Oliver gather a clean shirt and slacks and enter the bathroom. In no time at all he emerged, nodded to her and said, "I will see you later, for our mating."

Felicity watched him leave, then headed to the bathroom with her own change of clothing. After slipping on the simple blouse and jeans, she sat down on the edge of the tub and proceeded to have a good cry. She thought with a wry laugh how she had thought she was under such stress a few days ago, and now? Now, she thought having to carry the pretense of Oliver still brainwashed was even more stressful. They had to pretend a certain detachment in their relationship when all she wanted to do was to jump him.

Felicity cried until she felt a little better, having released some of the stress she had been holding in for so long. Feeling all cried out, Felicity washed her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, she forced herself to smile a large smile. She squared her shoulders and walked out of the bathroom.

Only to find three guards waiting for her in the sitting room.

Trying to hide her fear, Felicity tried to demand in her most scary voice, "What is this? Why are you in here?"

"Master requests your presence."

One of the guards approached her, with a set of handcuffs. She attempted to back away from him, but the other two grabbed her. "I don't understand. What is the meaning of this?"

"No more questions. Master will tell all," the guard said as he grabbed her slender wrists to place the handcuffs around them.

**AN: Yep. Ending it there. Because, well, this chapter grew too big. So….hope you are still enjoying this different type of story and tune in again to see exactly what is going on. And if you leave a review, you would make the Muse very happy indeed. A happy Muse is a writing Muse, after all. And virtual mint chocolate ice cream for everyone, since Felicity hasn't been able to enjoy that for weeks. Poor girl! Until next time.**


	17. Chapter 17: The Discovery

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you so much for returning to the story! Hope you survived my little cliffhanger. Here is the next chapter.****(And I hope you appreciate me not leaving you on the cliff too long).**

Previously:

_She squared her shoulders and walked out of the bathroom. _

_Only to find three guards waiting for her in the sitting room. _

_Trying to hide her fear, Felicity tried to demand in her most scary voice, "What is this? Why are you in here?"_

_"__Master requests your presence."_

_One of the guards approached her, with a set of handcuffs. She attempted to back away from him, but the other two grabbed her. "I don't understand. What is the meaning of this?"_

_"__No more questions. Master will tell all," the guard said as he grabbed her slender wrists to place the handcuffs around them._

Attempting to keep the fear and nausea at bay, Felicity found herself being half-dragged down the corridor into a part of the Fortress she hadn't been in before.

They reached a room at the end of one of the hallways. As they entered, Felicity wondered where they were. It was more like a closet, or alcove, off of a much larger room. It had one other door besides the one they had used to enter. Felicity was led to a chair and was pushed down into it.

One of the guards leaned down and whispered, "We don't want to have to gag you, so please do not say anything. Otherwise, we will."

Felicity nodded her understanding. _I still don't understand what we're doing here. And what's happening. Something must have tipped Ra's off, but what?_

Felicity thought she was controlling her anxiety fairly well, until suddenly she felt a hand on her knee. The guard whispered, "Stop fidgeting."

Felicity hadn't been aware of bouncing her knee. She nodded again and pressed her cuffed hands down on her legs to prevent further fidgeting. To take her mind off of things, she tried to hear what was going on in the next room. Suddenly she heard loud bangs, cries of pain, and sounds of unknown objects falling. As well what sounded like metal on metal. Swords? Despite herself, she looked at the guard closest to her with a question on her face. The guard just shook his head, refusing to answer her unspoken questions.

Felicity looked away but continued to wonder about the strange noises coming from the other room. Suddenly she thought she heard Oliver cry out in pain. Without thought, she stood up and was about to take a step forward when unforgiving arms grabbed her and pushed her back into the chair. Felicity looked up into the face of the guard, who shook his head gravely.

_So that's what's happening, Oliver being beaten up by the deadliest assassins in the world? And I'm stuck here in this room, not knowing what is going on? Not able to help him at all._

Suddenly she felt as though she was going to hyperventilate. Felicity quickly employed the techniques Diggle had taught her to control such a reaction. Just as she felt she had her anxiety under control, the door in front of them opened. A blonde-haired man dressed in a LOA uniform said, "He wants her brought in now."

The two men sitting on either side of her rose, and grabbed her by the arms, bringing her to her feet abruptly. She fell forward but was brought up straight by the two men, assisting her in regaining her balance. They headed out the door, with Felicity attempting to get her feet under her.

They walked into what looked like a gymnasium, with a high ceiling and lots of space. At first all she could see was a group of men, about twenty in number, dressed in LOA uniforms in a semi-circle. As Felicity with her guards approached the group, several of the soldiers stepped aside, and the sight meeting her eyes chilled her to her toes.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~

After leaving Felicity, Oliver had entered the gymnasium as he had the other times. He didn't sense anything different. Ra's nodded at him as Oliver approached him. However, Ra's stopped him as Oliver was about to turn towards the boxing ring.

"This evening, you are to use the entire room for your maneuvers." Ra's snapped his fingers and a dozen soldiers appeared, circling Oliver.

Pushing down a tendril of fear, Oliver bit back his impulse to speak in his Arrow voice. Instead, in Wareeth's monotone, he asked, "What is this, Master? Why am I fighting more than one warrior?"

"Oh, I think it's time you learned a lesson. Let it begin."

Oliver then was too preoccupied with defending himself against the attacks delivered by the warriors to examine the meaning of Ra's' words. Unlike other days, Oliver could tell the soldiers were going all-out. Like out for his blood. Or his head. Looking at the various soldiers, brandishing various weapons when he had none, Oliver asked in a moment's respite, "Why wasn't I offered a weapon?"

"You may freely take what you choose from the soldiers. If you can."

Oliver returned his entire attention to the matter at hand: apparently defending his very life against the most skilled of Ra's assassins. He was able to obtain a sword and a bo-staff from two felled soldiers, using both to his greatest advantage. Using all his fighting techniques, he was able to knock out or severely injure many of his opponents. However, as soon as he vanquished one soldier, two more appeared.

He continued to battle the various soldiers, until he couldn't. With increasing fatigue Oliver wasn't able to maintain the defense needed to defeat Ra's' seemingly endless army. He had a large gash across his abdomen, another on his right bicep, several cracked ribs. His attention diverted by two other soldiers, Oliver didn't see the roundhouse kick delivered by a third soldier which sent him flying into the wall. His head spinning from hitting it on the wall, Oliver wasn't able to defend himself from the multiple punches being delivered to his battered body by two other soldiers. He struggled to strike out at the three soldiers surrounding him, alternating punching and kicking them, but another soldier was able to deliver a karate chop to the back of his head. Collapsing, Oliver couldn't rise quick enough to avoid several well-placed kicks. Or to avoid unforgiving arms grabbing him, pulling him back on his feet.

Struggling unsuccessfully, Oliver found himself being dragged in front of Ra's. He shook his head in an attempt to clear the dizziness, but wasn't very successful. Forcing himself to look up, Oliver met the unforgiving eyes of one extremely scary leader of assassins. Who, despite Oliver's best efforts, had twenty faithful soldiers surrounding him.

"I don't understand, Master. Have I done something to offend you?"

"Have you….Wareeth?"

Oliver met Ra's' eyes head-on, and didn't like what he saw in them. Focusing on keeping his breathing regular, hiding his anxiety, Oliver waited for Ra's to continue.

Instead of addressing his next remarks to Oliver, Ra's looked across the room and said, "You can bring her in now."

Oliver watched in dread as Felicity entered the room, a guard on either side. They practically dragged her towards them. Her wrists were bound with handcuffs in front of her, and she fruitlessly struggled against the two soldiers who had a firm grasp on her arms. They entered into the semicircle of guards through the hole left by two soldiers stepping out of the way.

"Master, I don't understand why Felicity is in restraints, or why you had so many soldiers beat me."

"You don't….Mr. Queen?"

Forcing himself to ask in Wareeth's monotone, keeping his facial features passive, Oliver asked, "Why do you call me that name? That is not who I am."

"Oh, yes, it is, isn't it...Mr. Queen?"

Oliver couldn't help but turn around and look at Felicity, who wore her shock clearly on her face. She stopped struggling and looked at Oliver with such fear it took Oliver's breath away. He turned back towards Ra's, and mentally prepared himself for battle.

Dropping all pretense, Oliver asked, "How'd you know?"

"Know what? That the brainwashing had worn off? Through a lot of little details. Such as your occasional use of contractions. And, even though it was a valiant effort, I could tell you weren't as subservient as you would normally be." Ra's walked towards Oliver and stopped directly in front of him. "I must say, it was indeed a good effort. However, I began to suspect when you and Mrs. Queen were taking showers together. Not something a brainwashed drone would think of. Instead, it provided a great opportunity for two conspirators to confer secretly, wasn't it? And of course, all these strange behaviors began with Mrs. Queen's unique and out of place dinner conversation the other night. A conversation about old memories, I assume, of when you two first met."

Ra's took several steps and turned, facing Felicity. She involuntarily took a step back, but was stopped by her guards' hold on her arms.

"You thought you were being clever, Mrs. Queen. Clearly, it was effective. It brought back Wareeth's memory, and completely undid all of my brainwashing. However, I was prepared for some sort of betrayal, and kept myself vigilant for any possible sign of mutiny." Ra's turned and walked a few steps away and turned around again. "And there were indeed the little signs I've mentioned. Obviously, you are not supportive of our purpose here, Mrs. Queen. And your presence here only reminds Wareeth of his old life. I was wrong in allowing you to stay here."

Oliver was certain he wasn't going to like the rest of this conversation. And he was correct.

"I am not going to make the mistake of allowing you to continue to be a reminder for Wareeth. Due to severe disobedience against my decrees, I hereby sentence you, Felicity Queen, to forty lashes with a cat o' nine tails, followed by hanging over burning coals until dead."

"What?" Felicity shrieked, as she was being dragged away.

Oliver struggled against his own restraints. "Ra's, no! Please don't do this. I will do anything! You don't even have to brainwash me, I freely agree to stay here and do whatever you want me to do. Just don't kill Felicity. Please, I beg you!"

"I am sorry, Mr. Queen, but allowing her to live would only give you hope of someday being with her once again."

"Killing her will only remove the one hold you have over me."

"No, you are wrong, Mr. Queen. I broke you once, I will be able to do so again. Without Mrs. Queen's presence or assistance."

Oliver increased his efforts to wrench himself free of the soldiers' hold but was unsuccessful. He failed to hear the sounds of an altercation happening outside the room. Suddenly, six individuals dressed in LOA outfits burst into the room. Two of them freed Felicity by engaging her guards in battle. She fell but quickly got up and ran out of the way. Oliver turned towards Ra's in time to observe three others enter from the side door of the room. He was shocked to see Malcolm and Nyssa under two of the hoods as they began to engage Ra's in battle.

Oliver felt his wrists now free of their restraints. He turned, and met the eyes of his sister as she battled two other assassins. "Hi Ollie, good to see you. Wanna join us?" she said as she threw a sword to him, which he caught easily. She then turned in time to block a punch from one of the guards.

Oliver exchanged punches and kicks with several soldiers and was able to knock them out. He snuck a glance at Ra's, and observed Malcolm and Nyssa holding their own, swords flying. Turning his attention back to the remaining soldiers, Oliver threw himself into the fight. Trying not to allow thoughts of Felicity to distract him, Oliver did catch a glimpse of her being led to the outskirts of the room by Lyla.

With the assistance from the new members of Team Arrow, all the LOA soldiers present were soon either incapacitated or unavoidably killed. Except for Ra's. Oliver turned his attention towards the continuing battle in the front of the room. Oliver reached the group just as Ra's gave Nyssa a roundhouse kick into the wall, then turned and lunged at Malcolm. He withdrew his sword from Malcolm's side, and smiled in satisfaction as Malcolm slid to the floor. In one smooth movement Ra's had turned towards Oliver and met his sword on its downward strike towards his head, diverting it from its target.

As the two combatants feinted and lunged, looking for an advantage, Ra's asked, "Et tu, Mr. Queen?"

"Gladly," Oliver blocked Ra's strike with the Bo stick and aimed his sword at Ra's' momentarily vulnerable abdomen. Unfortunately, Ra's was able to subconsciously sense the movement and blocked Oliver's sword once again, preventing a deadly injury.

Oliver had really hoped that move would have ended the duel, for he was rapidly losing whatever energy the adrenaline of seeing Felicity in danger had given him. Despite not having any of his soldiers able to defend him, Ra's continued to fight like he had a chance.

"Ra's, why don't you surrender? You don't have any of your soldiers here to help you?"

"Why should I while you are still alive? I will not rest until you are dead, Mr. Queen!"

Ra's proceeded to come at Oliver in such a flurry of attacks and lunges Oliver was only able to defend himself without any hope of offensive maneuver. As the fight continued, Oliver was finding it more and more difficult to fight his fatigue.

Without Oliver being aware, Ra's had maneuvered the fight closer to a wall. As Oliver stumbled over a fallen soldier, Ra's' sword cut open his left upper arm. While Oliver reflexively looked at his arm, Ra's took advantage and gave him a roundhouse kick, sending him into the wall. Ra's smiled at Oliver as he quickly approached, his arm raised to give a fatal strike, when he fell forward.

Oliver looked up in puzzlement, wondering what had just happened. Ray was standing there, dressed in his ATOM suit. He lowered his arm and smiled at Oliver.

"Glad to be able to help. He's…."

"What have you done?" Nyssa asked as she rushed to her father's side.

**AN: Aren't cliffhangers fun? Except I think the previous chapter's cliffhanger was more fun. Please turn in next time and see how this adventure ends. Hope you enjoyed it, and if you be so kind, please leave me a review. It really, really does make a difference in a poor writer's life. Thanks again. **


	18. Chapter 18: Rescue at Hand?

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you so much for returning. I hope you are still enjoying this story. If you like, leaving me a review letting me know is always appreciated, no matter how short. We are getting near the end, I believe, so without further ado, here is the new chapter. **

Previously:

_Without Oliver being aware, Ra's had maneuvered the fight closer to a wall. As Oliver stumbled over a fallen soldier, Ra's' sword cut open his left upper arm. While Oliver reflexively looked at his arm, Ra's took advantage and gave him a roundhouse kick, sending him into the wall. Ra's smiled at Oliver as he quickly approached, his arm raised to give a fatal strike, when he fell forward._

_Oliver looked up in puzzlement, wondering what had just happened. Ray was standing there, dressed in his ATOM suit. He lowered his arm and smiled at Oliver. _

_"__Glad to be able to help. He's…."_

_"__What have you done?" Nyssa asked as she rushed to her father's side._

Nyssa ran her hands over her father, checking for an exit hole. No bleeding, no bullet hole. No exit hole. What the hell? She felt his neck for a pulse. Looking at Ray in wonderment Nyssa said, "He's not dead."

"You did tell us only you or Oliver were to kill him. I only shot him with a tranquilizer dart," Ray said, giving a huge smile. "If you hadn't interrupted me, I would've told you that."

"What? Why only you or me, Nyssa?" Oliver managed to ask between his puzzlement and his fatigue.

Nyssa looked at Oliver. "To ensure the proper passing on of the leadership of the League, it needs to be one of us killing him. To prevent an uprising within the League and to maintain order." Her lips curled. "It should have been me."

"Here's a sword," Felicity said, offering the one she had picked up at her feet. "You can finish him off, now. Here's your chance to kill him. Take it!"

Nyssa looked at Felicity and shook her head. "It needs to be in a duel."

"Can't you kill him, and oh, say, dunk him in the Lazarus Pit when we're gone? So he leaves us alone from now on?" Felicity asked.

"You're usually cute, but not so much at this moment," Nyssa said solemnly.

Oliver was attempting to regain his equilibrium, which he was finding very difficult to do. Even though he was grateful, he wasn't sure what to think about all that had transpired. He looked at his friends, family, and teammates around him. Recalling he had numerous potential enemies in the room, Oliver made a quick sweep of the room with his eyes and noted with some calm all the LOA soldiers remained unconscious or restrained. There were no dangers nearby, at the moment. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Oliver asked, "So, what do we do now?"

"First, isn't anyone going to ask about how I'm doing?" Malcolm asked, leaning heavily on Digg as they walked toward the group.

Oliver looked at the shuffling man approaching with his friend. He was relieved to observe Malcolm surprisingly upright. "Oh, sorry, Malcolm, I was distracted," Oliver said with a small grimace. "I did think maybe you'd bought it."

"Luckily I was able to move out of the way at the last moment, avoiding a killing strike. But thank you for your concern."

"Sorry. Guess I'm busy trying to take all of this in. I did think Felicity was about to die. How'd you guys manage to get here anyway? Especially at the exact moment we needed help?"

"I think you are still in shock, Oliver, and not thinking clearly." Nyssa's voice was unusually cold. "We need to wait for our discussion until we get to somewhere safe. We shall go to my father's war room without delay. It is the only place guaranteed to be safe for us to discuss what happens next."

Oliver looked at Malcolm, who nodded and said, "It's true. Ra's has what I would call a panic room. We better hurry before these soldiers wake up."

"But first, there is something I need to take care of," Nyssa said. Pulling out tie cords out of her pocket, she turned back to her father and bound his hands and feet. She then nodded to Roy and Ted, who approached them. They grabbed Ra's upper body while Nyssa grabbed her father's legs.

While Oliver struggled to stand up, Felicity and Thea approached him. They assisted him to a standing position. Ray took Malcolm's other side to help Dig support him. As the group left the gymnasium Lyla and Laurel brought up the rear, keeping their eyes open for any danger. Nyssa led the way down several unfamiliar hallways to a tunnel entrance.

"This looks like the way to the catacombs," Ted asked.

"No, it's similar, but we are on the other side of the fortress," Nyssa said.

After walking down a dark and damp passageway, they stopped at a heavy oak door. Nyssa lowered her father's feet, reached in her pocket and pulled out a keyring containing several keys. She confidently opened the door with one of them, picked up her father's legs once more and led the group into the room.

Except it wasn't just a room. In the same style as the other bedroom suites in the Fortress, it had a sitting room, bedroom and separate office. Everyone but those carrying Ra's stopped in the living area. As Nyssa led the way to the bedroom, the others took seats around the room. Nyssa assisted Roy and Ted in laying her father on the bed. After she made sure her father remained unconscious and his bonds secure, the three of them joined the others.

"Before we start, Felicity and I want to thank all of you for rescuing us. You certainly showed up at the right time." Looking directly at Nyssa, Oliver asked, "How did you know?"

"After arriving here, Al Sa-hir and I contacted several people within the Fortress. One of them had just become aware of my father's plans for tonight. We were planning on coming in a covert mission to get you out. We wanted to rescue you without letting my father know. Unfortunately his plans forced us to take more aggressive action."

"Now that we got you caught up, what are we going to do now?" Diggle asked.

Oliver leaned back in his chair and split his steel-eyed gaze between Nyssa and Malcolm. "What should we do? How can we guarantee a safe departure from this place for all of us and that Ra's will never bother us again?"

Malcolm gave a little grin and a shrug. "I have several thoughts, but I think the Heir to the Demon...oh, I mean the former Heir, should speak."

Nyssa glared at Malcolm, but before she could speak, Oliver interrupted. "I'm sorry, Nyssa, my head isn't totally on straight yet. I should've asked you first, why your father decided to replace you as Heir in the first place. And did you have any idea he was going to do that?"

"No, I didn't. First he sent me on an away mission which took several months. I should've known something was suspicious." Nyssa continued with a grimace. "I arrived back, and the Fortress was abuzz with the news of the 'new Heir' showing the soldiers new fighting techniques and his beautiful wife. How surprised I was to discover you and Felicity Smoak, MIT class of '09, here."

"No more surprised than I was," Felicity mumbled, then jumped when nervous laughter was directed at her. "Oh I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Like my Beloved used to say, you are cute," Nyssa told Felicity. "Now, the reason why my father gave my position to you, Oliver? He was convinced you were 'destined' to become his heir because you survived your duel with him. How could I argue with a belief in mysticism of over 600 years?" Nyssa's lips almost disappeared as she pressed them together so tightly Felicity was afraid she would do permanent damage. "Even though I tried."

"You didn't think about talking to us, seeing if you could help us?" Thea asked.

"I apologize, but before I could Laurel contacted me."

Oliver asked as though he hadn't been interrupted, "Was there any other reason he no longer wanted you as heir, or why he decided on me, specifically?"

Malcolm studied Oliver pensively. "What are you thinking, Oliver?"

Oliver sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. Just something about this doesn't seem right, somehow."

Nyssa pondered upon the topic, and after a moment shook her head. "Nothing comes to mind at this time. However, it is rather an astute question."

A look of impatience crossed Oliver's face. "We should address where we go from here, Nyssa. Before your father wakes up. Would you be able to challenge him to a duel?"

"There is a statute allowing a displaced heir to challenge...no, wait. That wouldn't work."

"What?"

"To challenge the new heir. Not the current Ra's."

Malcolm sniffed in disgust. "Why did you bring it up, then, if it wouldn't work?"

"I don't see you offering anything useful." Nyssa stared at Malcolm until his snide grin disappeared. Turning back to the others, she continued. "Returning to the discussion...there is another statute stating a current leader can be challenged if his mental status is questioned,"

"If anyone's mental status needs to be questioned, it's Ra's'." Felicity mumbled. As Roy and Thea nervously laughed, Felicity's face reddened. "I did it yet again. Sorry."

"Nyssa, do you think that would work? And are you ready to take the League away from your father?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, I am more than ready, if his recent actions show where his future plans lie. And it might actually be the only way to guarantee all of you and your city to be left in peace." A small tilt of her head displayed her regret. "I cannot think of any other way to guarantee your safety."

"Oh great. And only if you win. If you die we're all screwed." Felicity gasped and covered her mouth as soon as the statement left her mouth. "I just don't know what to do about my brain sometimes."

"I find it refreshing. It's only what everyone else was thinking," Malcolm said with a leer.

"You only say that until it's you she's talking about," Nyssa said with a grimace. "However, I cannot argue the truth of her statement. It is within the realm of possibility I may not succeed."

"There must be some other way," Oliver rubbed his chin in thought. "Malcolm, you said you had some ideas?"

"I have several," a new voice interrupted. Everyone in the room turned to see Ra's free of his bonds, standing in the doorway.

**AN: Oh no! Someone didn't time that tranquilizer very well, did he? Hopefully I will get the next chapter up sooner than this one was. Like I say so happy you stopped by and hope you enjoyed it. See you next time!**


	19. Chapter 19: One Interesting Conversation

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN:****Hey, I guess I have been forgetting to thank all you faithful readers. I do appreciate all the favs, follows, and especially reviews. Reviews let us writers know we're not writing in a vacuum, after all. So...please leave a review if you are feeling kind.**

Previously:

_"There must be some other way," Oliver rubbed his chin in thought. "Malcolm, you said you had some ideas?"_

_"I have several," a new voice interrupted. Everyone in the room turned to see Ra's free of his bonds, standing in the doorway. _

All the warriors leaped into defensive positions at the sight of the unexpected threat. Diggle and Lyla drew their guns, Thea aimed her bow. Nyssa and Laurel took a step forward towards Ra's. Oliver pushed Felicity behind him and prepared for the worse.

Ra's searched out everyone's eyes and a smile slowly spread across his face. His gaze returned to his daughter. "I am impressed, Nyssa. You arranged a coup very effectively."

"Father, I…"

Ra's held up a hand. "It is all right, Daughter. I understand. And like I said, I am impressed."

"You don't think you can leave this room with all of us here, do you?" Oliver asked.

"Time will tell." Ra's quirked his right eyebrow and allowed a small smile to crack the dangerous image he presented. "You, Wareeth, I continue to be impressed with you. To have aroused such loyalty from those willing to risk their lives to rescue you, testifies I selected the right man to succeed me in the League."

"You didn't answer his question, Ra's. What are you expecting to happen?" Felicity asked.

Ra's gave a little shrug. "It does appear you have me as your prisoner."

"We don't?" Roy asked.

"We shall see, won't we?" Ra's asked, with a tilt of his head and a cold-eyed stare at Roy.

"Father, quit it. What are you planning now?" Nyssa asked.

Ra's bestowed a look of superiority upon his daughter, his lips forming a thin, small smile. "You have not guessed it yet, Daughter?"

Nyssa looked at her father with a solemn look on her face. "Are you saying this has been a test?"

Felicity was unaware of her filter breaking again. "What? You harming Oliver, almost killing him? That was only a test for Nyssa?" Oliver could almost see the anger flowing from her in waves.

Ra's looked around the room. The suite was almost not large enough to accommodate this group of heroes. He motioned to the chair nearest to him at the table, which happened to be the chair Oliver had vacated to protect Felicity. "May I sit?"

Oliver, after a moment, nodded.

Ra's took his seat. Thea slid out of the way so Nyssa could sit next to her father. Diggle pulled out the chair he was sitting in and nodded at Felicity, who sat down in the offered seat. Oliver took Felicity's former chair. Everyone else cautiously took seats on the couch and remaining armchairs, except for Diggle, Thea and Ted. They remained standing, never taking their eyes off the master criminal. Again, before he spoke, Ra's took his time and looked each person in the eye, making sure he had everyone's attention. "No, Mrs. Queen, this entire operation did not start as a test. I had indeed originally decided to replace my daughter with Mr. Queen."

"Why, Father? I thought you were pleased with how I have carried out the various missions."

"I have. But you have become more emotional since you met Ta-er Sah-fer." A wave of his hand indicated his displeasure. "An inconvenience to a future Ra's al Ghul."

"What do you mean?"

"You lost your edge, your killer instinct. You had apparently picked up a code of ethics, surely as a result of the company you have been keeping." Ra's smiled. "However, with your organization of this so-called rescue mission, I have changed my mind. You have shown me how much you want to be Heir."

Nyssa opened her mouth to express an angry retort, then changed her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment, then said, "I thought you already knew how much I wanted that, Father. My entire life has only been spent preparing for the role as the next Ra's."

"I apologize. I saw an opportunity and I took it, in light of my recent disappointment in you. I thought the prophets deemed Oliver to be the true heir. After all, he survived what should have been a life-ending injury and a deadly drop off a mountain."

Several gasps were heard escaping those hearing this information for the first time.

"So, now what? You apologize, and everything is all right? It doesn't help Oliver and me any," Felicity said. Oliver placed a warning hand on her arm. "No, Oliver. I don't care. I know we're not out of here yet, but it does look like we have the upper hand. And I want to tell Ra's a few things."

Ra's was unaffected by the anger spewing from the petite blonde. "I apologize, Mrs. Queen, to both you and Oliver. I can certainly understand your wrath." Oliver watched as the insincere smile left Ra's' face and was replaced with such a coldness in his eyes Oliver hadn't seen before. "However, your continued anger does not bode well for future diplomatic relations between your city and me." Oliver again caught the hidden threat in Ra's' words.

Felicity swallowed but maintained eye contact with the man who had threatened to kill her and continue to hold her husband prisoner. Oliver decided it wise to intervene. "Ra's, I am sorry. Felicity has been under extreme stress, as well you know."

Ra's shook his head. "Again, I am sorry for your anger, Mrs. Queen. However, in light of recent events, I would think you'd simply be pleased to be able to return to your home. Unharmed."

Felicity inhaled in preparation of a reply, but Oliver quickly said, "So, Ra's, you're saying, we'll all able to leave Nanda Parbat? Even Malcolm?"

Ra's looked over at Malcolm, who was surprisingly quiet throughout all of this. "Like I said during your previous visit, all blood debts have been forgiven." Turning his gaze to Oliver, Ra's continued. "Unless you do something to make me angry once again, I will leave you, your loved ones, and your city alone." Ra's leaned forward in his chair. "But, if you encourage my wrath once more…"

"Father, I am sure they have learned their lesson. Especially Oliver. Right, Oliver?" Nyssa turned, and Oliver was surprised to see an unspoken plea in her eyes.

"Yes, Nyssa. All I want is to return to Starling with my team. Unharmed."

"I am pleased to hear that, Mr. Queen. If you are tempted to cross my path again in the future, I hope you will remember your stay here and all of which I am capable. And decide differently."

Oliver's lips pursed into a thin line. He bit back an angry retort and let out his breath. Ra's was indeed reminding him of the evil Oliver had indeed experienced, and observed, during his stay. As if he needed a reminder of what Ra's could and would do to one he viewed as an enemy.

"Are you only agreeing to this because we're holding you captive?" Roy asked. Thea swatted him, but Roy only shrugged. "We were all thinking this."

"Make no mistake, Mr. Harper. If you would engage me in a fight now, despite your number, your success is not guaranteed simply because you outnumber me. I have decided, in my benevolence, to allow all of you to go. Unharmed. Like I said, however, try my patience once more, and you will simply not live to regret it."

"Well, if you're all satisfied by the non-answers we've received from Ra's, I say let's go. I for one don't see any reason to stay any longer," Malcolm said, not bothering to hide his disdain. An insincere smile appeared on Malcolm's face. "Unless, of course, you disagree, Ra's?"

Oliver closed his eyes to hide the eyeroll he couldn't control and sighed. _Malcolm will be the death of me yet._ Before he could undo any possible damage, Ra's began to talk again. "Yes, I believe our business has been completed."

"So what happens now?" Oliver asked.

"We will all go to the main foyer and wait while Nyssa informs a servant to pack and bring down your and Mrs. Queen's belongings. She will also arrange our private jet to fly all of you back to Starling."

Diggle said hurriedly, "Oh no, we have our own jet waiting for us." At Oliver's questioning glance, he said, "ARGUS brought us here in one of their jets." Oliver scowled at him, and Diggle said, "We didn't have any other choice."

Ra's continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "All right. Nyssa, please inform the household to stand down. Give them the 'All clear' sign." Meeting Oliver's eyes, Ra's stated, "So none of my people get alarmed with what happened earlier." He rose, and arched his eyebrows at the group in general.

Oliver shrugged and rose to his feet slowly as well. "Malcolm, are you strong enough for another walk?"

Malcolm struggled to his feet. "Yeah, I think so."

Nyssa went to the door, opened it and looked out. She turned to the group and nodded at her father. Ra's walked in his usual grand fashion out the door with Nyssa following. Oliver, with Thea and Felicity again at his side, went next. Malcolm looked at Dig and Roy, silently asking for assistance, which they offered. Lyla and Laurel followed, with Ray and Ted taking the rear this time.

They went down several other passageways. At the end of the third passageway, they approached a sturdy door. Nyssa unlocked and opened it and took another cautious look around it. She pulled back and then permitted her father to enter the foyer first.

Oliver looked around as they stepped into the brightly lit room. It resembled more a fancy hotel lobby than a room in a medieval fortress, with a high ceiling, elegant furnishings and velvet red drapes bordering the large bay windows. Overstuffed chairs were intermingled in groups between luxurious couches and intricately carved wooden back chairs. Nyssa walked down a small hallway past the room. Oliver watched as she spoke to someone he couldn't see, then returned to the group.

Meanwhile, Ra's led them to the group of furniture closest to the door. With a grand opening of his arms, he gestured for them to sit. Oliver watched as his teammates each took a seat. He smiled as Digg quickly came to Felicity's side, leaving the chair on the other side of her empty. After ensuring everyone else had a seat, Oliver took the seat next to Felicity. He laughed to himself when he observed Roy had taken a seat next to Malcolm on one of the couches, with Laurel on Malcolm's left side. Thea sat in a chair to Roy's right. Lyla was sitting on Diggle's other side, and Ray and Ted rounded out the circle.

Ra's and Nyssa had remained standing. Oliver noted four soldiers who had arrived and stood behind Ra's. He turned, spoke quietly in Arabic to them, and turned back towards Oliver. The soldiers separated, taking separate corners around the group.

"I am going to take my leave now. I trust you have no further questions."

Oliver placed a firm grip on Felicity's lower arm. She turned and gave him a small nod but said nothing. Oliver turned his attention to Ra's. "No, I think we're good."

"Please relax here until your transportation arrives. It shouldn't be long."

Oliver stood up as Nyssa walked over to him. "Thank you, Nyssa." He held out his hand for a handshake. Nyssa looked down at it, grimaced slightly, and took it.

Nyssa considered Oliver in silence for a moment. Before Oliver could become uncomfortable, she spoke. "I wish you, Mrs. Queen, and everyone else nothing but the best." Leaning towards him, she said, "Please don't ask for my help again."

"As long as we don't see any of the League interfering in my city, we wouldn't," Oliver said through gritted teeth.

Nyssa gave him what he thought was a genuine smile, turned, and followed her father as they left.

Oliver watched as the man who had controlled his life for the greater part of a month walked away with his daughter. He couldn't help the feelings of disbelief and uncertainty occurring within him. Things felt...unsettled. Oliver shook his head. _I only feel that way because Ra's is neither dead nor imprisoned. As he should be._

"What are you scowling at, Oliver?" The faint but melodious voice of his beloved came from beside him. He turned and gave Felicity a smile. "Just trying to make sense of all of this. And what we should do next."

Diggle came to sit in the chair across from them. "What do you mean, what to do next? Don't tell me this doesn't feel like a win to you?"

Oliver shrugged. "Yeah, pretty irrational thought there, I agree. It's only because Ra's isn't in prison."

"Or dead." Felicity said, with a small all-knowing grin.

"Maybe you should've driven that sword you picked up through his heart when you had the chance," Diggle said with a smile.

Felicity gave a short laugh which sounded more like a 'humph'. "Don't get me started, Dig. I would have, but I was sure Nyssa would've stopped me before I successfully drove it into his miserable heart."

Oliver looked at the rest of their group. They were quietly talking amongst themselves. However Oliver wasn't surprised to see all of them also covertly scanning the environment for possible threats. The LOA soldiers remained at their posts on all corners around them.

"Oliver, I think they may be just as much for our protection as to make sure we don't do something unwise," Diggle whispered to him.

"Good point," came the curt reply. Diggle smiled slightly and sat back in his chair.

After another five minutes Oliver observed a small commotion by the main doors. A servant approached them. "Your car is here. We will follow with your luggage."

As the group gathered their minimal belongings and headed for the door, Oliver took one last look around what he could see of the Fortress. He nodded his head sadly and walked through the doors one last time.

**AN: Again, thank you for continuing to follow this story. Not sure if interest is waning for this one or not. It is coming to an end, however. Hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it. Probably one more chapter left, unless…no, I wouldn't do that. See you next time!**


	20. Chapter 20: Arriving at Home

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thanks for returning, and for the reviews, favs and follows. Believe it or not, this ending came up rather fast for me. Otherwise I would have warned you last chapter. So enjoy this wrap-up!**

Previously:

_After another five minutes Oliver observed a small commotion by the main doors. A servant approached them. "Your car is here. We will follow with your luggage."_

_As the group gathered their minimal belongings and headed for the door, Oliver took one last look around what he could see of the Fortress. He nodded his head sadly and walked through the doors one last time. _

On the way to the field acting as a runway for the ARGUS airplane, the group remained quiet in the sedan. As a group they had nonverbally agreed not to discuss anything until they were in the air. Even though it appeared to be a win-win situation, distrust of Ra's and the possibility of being overheard kept them from discussing anything until they were off of Nanda Parbat soil.

Once everyone was settled in their seats and the plane took off without difficulty, conversation broke out amongst various individuals. Oliver remained quiet, however, as he tried to get his restlessness under control. He alternated looking beyond Felicity to watch the clouds and looking at the front of the cabin, seemingly studying the few signs on the wall.

Felicity waited as long as she could for her brooding husband to break the silence, but after fifteen minutes, she couldn't wait any longer.

"Oliver, what is wrong?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Malcolm, who was across the aisle, leaned over and said, "Oliver, I understand it's not in your DNA to be at peace. However, if Ra's says he no longer has a grudge against any of us, we can take him at his word."

Felicity watched as Oliver pressed his lips into a fine line. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. As he opened them, he looked at Malcolm. "Can you guarantee that, Malcolm? Would you bet Thea's life on it?" Oliver gave a sigh of disgust. "You don't know what I've gone through, Malcolm. And for Ra's just to let us go after all that? It does seem too easy."

Malcolm rolled his eyes. "Yes, in this case, you can believe what I say. I do believe we no longer have anything to fear from Ra's." Malcolm made sure Oliver was looking directly at him. "And I am basically betting on Thea's life on this, as well you know." He scratched his head. "Contrary to what you believe, I have an excellent idea of the hell Ra's put you through. But he also respects you. And we did catch him off-guard, for whatever reason. He wisely weighed his options, and his chance for success, and decided to stick with Nyssa. Even though we would've had one hell of a fight on our hands, I think Ra's knew he couldn't beat all of us." With a little shrug he continued. "As a father who's also trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his daughter, I thought I saw that in Ra's as well. He really is proud of Nyssa, and decided to give the League back to her."

Oliver lightly tapped his fingers on the chair rest and stared ahead for a minute as he considered Malcolm's words. "So you really buy into Ra's' claim he will leave us alone?"

"Why wouldn't you take his words at face value and believe he no longer wants you as his heir? Nyssa has earned back his respect, and all is well in Nanda Parbat. Plus, he has clearly taught you a lesson. Which was basically his other objective in all of this."

"What?"

Malcolm swallowed, showing a small amount of fear on his face. "Oliver, I again apologize for my role in all of this. It clearly didn't go the way I wanted."

"I should say not."

"But, Ra's needed to show how he punishes impertinence, even as far away as Starling." He again raised his hands, gesturing his conflicting feelings. "You did stand against him in your protection of me. And, by the way, I again thank you for that."

Felicity opened her mouth to say something but Malcolm continued as if not interrupted. "But, like I said, he couldn't afford to let such impertinence go unpunished."

Felicity leaned over Oliver. "What? You're telling me all this was meant to be a lesson for Oliver?"

Malcolm blanched at her tone but continued. "Not originally, but yes, that's what I'm saying. Because it's what Ra's is telling himself. To soothe his ego in letting us go." Malcolm shrugged his shoulders. "He needs to keep up appearances in front of the League. Bottom line, he will present this entire debacle as such so he saves face with the League."

"So, the League will just go ahead and accept Nyssa as the new heir? Will simply ignore the attempt to make me Heir instead?"

"I'm sure some will disagree, will balk at the occurrence. However, the League members….well, they're all mostly obedient, no matter what." He shook his head. "Like the drones they have become, by choice or brainwashing, they'll blindly accept whatever their leader tells them."

Felicity lightly stroked Oliver's hand. "Why don't you stop thinking about all of this and try to get some rest. I know it all has been quite draining."

Oliver sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Nothing I can do about things right now." Looking sideways at Malcolm, he said, "And….I suppose you are correct, Malcolm." _At least I'll operate that way for now but be prepared just in case anything changes in the future. If Ra's again becomes a threat._

"Yes, we should all get some rest. We can talk more later," Malcolm said, leaning back into his seat.

Oliver grimaced but made no comment. He straightened himself in his seat, then reclined it the short distance allowed. With a small smile Oliver leaned closer to Felicity. "You better get some rest as well, Mrs. Queen. No looking at the web."

Felicity sniffed. "Oh you. I'm not sure I'm tired. But there's no connection at the moment anyway, so no surfing for me right now." She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss then settled back into her seat with a contented sigh.

Oliver leaned back into his seat also with a small smile. He was still having difficulty accepting their nightmare of Nanda Parbat was indeed over. Some rest would indeed help clear his mind so he'd know what else needed to be done to put this all behind them. He settled into his seat, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

After they had landed, and Oliver, Diggle and Lyla had thanked the pilots, most of the group made their way to several cars in the parking lot.

Oliver hurried to catch up with Malcolm. As he turned around, Oliver caught a strange look crossing Malcolm's face. Oliver looked at him with a question clearly on his face.

"Did you need something, Oliver?"

"Just to say thank you once more. And to invite you to the Foundry for a final debriefing. I wanted to do it on the plane, but..."

"But understandably you needed your rest." Malcolm paused, and Oliver again wondered what was going on in the unpredictable mind of his frienemy.

"What's going on, Malcolm? You look like you're worried about something."

Malcolm gave a small smile Oliver instinctively knew was genuine for once. "I'm just tired myself, Oliver. No shady stuff going on. Why don't we meet tomorrow to address any possible concerns and loose ends?"

Oliver searched Malcolm's face once more for any possible subterfuge. Unable to detect any, he nodded and said, "Yeah, that's fine, Malcolm. Will talk to you tomorrow."

Malcolm walked a few steps then turned around. "Oliver, I am indeed very happy we were able to get you and Felicity back."

Oliver gave him another smile and climbed in the back seat of the van next to Felicity. He settled into the seat after meeting Felicity's smile.

"Everything all right?" Felicity asked, concern on her face despite the smile.

"Yeah, I think so. I thought I caught a weird vibe coming from Malcolm. Like there's still something he's worried about and not telling us."

"He's not joining us at the foundry for debriefing?"

"He said he was too tired. I thought maybe we needed to talk things through first, just us. Without any former enemies around."

"You mean, Team Arrow?" Felicity teased, bumping his shoulder lightly.

Oliver shook his head. "Oh, you."

"It's growing on you, admit it."

"I guess, since I can't think of a better name, Team Arrow will do."

Felicity flashed him a huge smile and settled back against the seat cushions. Oliver took her hand and held it until they reached the foundry.

~~OQ~~FS~~OQ~~FS~~

Once they arrived at the foundry, Oliver gathered everyone around the table. After they were settled in their chairs, he stood up and looked at his group. His team, his friends.

"Guys, I want to say again how much I truly appreciate you rescuing Felicity and me." _Now comes the tough part. _"Especially since it was mostly my fault for this entire mess to begin with." Looking down at Felicity, he noticed she had slipped her hand in his without his consciously noticing it. He smiled softly at her, squeezed her hand, and continued. "I know it is not always easy being my support system, but….um…I really do appreciate it. And I do recognize, well, at times, I don't always show it."

Surprised looks met his speech. Then several nods. Diggle was the first to speak. "Hey, man, I might just be rubbing off on you."

Oliver gave a short laugh. "Yeah, about time, right?" He cleared his throat. "But before we get all mushy, let's get what we need to get done so we can get out of here. I for once am anxious to get home." Oliver couldn't help but smile down at Felicity, who was surprisingly quiet sitting next to him.

Oliver again looked at everyone and sat down. "Suddenly I don't know what else to talk about. Anything take place here that we should be concerned about?"

"Not much, just the usual run of bad guys. Except of course trying to develop a rescue plan."

Oliver looked at Roy. "How have you been? Any problems?"

"No, I feel like myself." Thea gave him a searching look. "Well, actually...it's weird, but I no longer feel guilty about the cop I killed last year. It's like it got washed away."

Oliver pondered his words, taking in Roy's relaxed pose, his level of comfort holding Thea's hand in public. "That's good. Now I wish I had pushed for Merlyn to be here. I'll check with him tomorrow, just in case. Perhaps any remaining amounts of Mirakuru also helped protect you from any of the Pit's unusual side effects."

Laurel said, "If you have no further questions, please inform us on what all happened with you and Felicity in Nanda Parbat." As Oliver raised a finger and opened his mouth, Laurel added quickly, "And don't you dare say it's complicated to get out of telling us."

Felicity smiled at Oliver. "Ra's didn't waste any time. He drugged our lunch the day you guys left, and when I woke up, Oliver was gone. When I yelled at Ra's…."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "You yelled at Ra's?"

Felicity shrugged and gave a small smile. "You know me, no filter. He told me you were taken for initiation and were going to be gone for two weeks. One morning I woke up, only to find Robot Oliver at the foot of my bed."

"'Robot Oliver'?" Laurel asked.

"Ra's has been around for over six hundred years, and has retained all the knowledge he has learned over the centuries. He is very much schooled in the techniques of brain washing." Oliver grimaced. "I held out as long as I could, but one day all I knew when I woke up was that I was to follow my Master in all he said."

Thea asked, "Did you not remember us? Felicity?" Her eyes dimmed with a few tears. "Not even your wedding?"

Oliver replied, "No, not even working with Felicity and Diggle in the foundry. Nothing. Wiped clean."

Diggle shook his head. "Wow, not good, man. What knocked you out of it then?"

Oliver reached for Felicity's hand, lifted it to his mouth and placed a light kiss on the back of it. "This wonderful woman, with her brain as her superpower, came up with an idea."

Felicity chortled. "I don't know if I'd classify this as a result of a super brain or not. With my addiction to sci-fi shows, and no computer or internet to get information…."

"They took away your computer, Barbie?" Roy asked. "How did you ever survive?"

"Ha, ha. Yes, amazingly enough, I did. So, I thought what I needed to do was remind Oliver of our special times." As a few giggles escaped the group, Felicity blushed. "No, not those special 'special' times. At least, not the first thing, because having sex with a robot... well…I thought maybe…I would…well…you know…but first I started with sneaking in special quotes from our relationship."

"Oh no, not the 'I ran out of sports bottles' line," Diggle groaned.

Felicity giggled. "Among others. I felt pretty cheesy doing this and I worried about Ra's seeing through it….which," she looked at Oliver, who nodded slightly, "I guess he did, with other clues, use it to piece together Oliver was no longer brainwashed."

"I think it was when we began to take showers together that truly gave it away," Oliver said.

"What?" Thea and Laurel said simultaneously.

"TMI, bro, TMI," Diggle added.

"Whoa, we only wanted Ra's to think that. Instead it was the only place where we could talk where we thought wouldn't have any bugs or cameras," Oliver explained.

"Ew," Thea crunched up her nose. "Imagine cameras in the bathroom? I sure hope not."

Felicity smiled at Thea. "Yeah, that was my reaction too. So I thought it was a pretty good idea of Oliver's….well, until I walked out of the bathroom this evening after Oliver left and three guards were there."

Several "Oh, no's" were heard.

"I was brought to a small room, where I began to hear all sorts of noises coming from beyond the closed door. Then I heard a couple of grunts and moans I knew were Oliver's."

"And luckily, that was where you guys came in and saved our butts."

"And yours is an especially nice butt. I'd certainly would miss seeing it in green leather again." As groans met her remark, Felicity groaned and buried her head in her hands. "Oh, my brain."

Oliver leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Don't ever change, Felicity."

"But Oliver, you never said how you got your memories back," Thea said.

"Over supper a few nights ago, when it was just the two of us, Felicity started talking about how we met at a coffee shop where I spilled a latte on my computer, and how everyone loves Italian, which she slid in as places she was to hack for Ra's. She snuck in all sorts of significant phrases one of us has said over the years into our conversation." He paused and gave Felicity another smile. "The return of my memory was sudden, but inconvenient. In the middle of fight maneuvers, it all began to come back to me in a flash. You guys, the island, the Arrow...Felicity. I almost got my head knocked off as I tried to process the shock."

"If it wasn't so scary, it would be kinda romantic," Thea said.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Barbie, what would we ever do without you?"

"We'll never find out," Oliver said as he went in for an actual kiss.

Everyone good-naturedly allowed the kiss uninterrupted. Until it looked like it wasn't going to stop.

"Whoa, big boy! I know you missed each other, and you're newlyweds, but get a room!" Thea teased her big brother.

"I think the debriefing is officially over. This calls for a celebration at Big Belly Burger!" Diggle suggested with a smile.

As Felicity blushed and Oliver opened his mouth, Laurel said, "You two are excused. For a week. Right, guys?" She looked at her other teammates for agreement and was met with head nods and "Hell yea's" from the group.

As the group collectively rose, gathered their belongings and headed for the stairs, Laurel leaned over to Oliver. "I'm serious. One week."

Oliver again attempted to say something but Felicity covered his mouth with her hand. "I'm think that's an excellent idea, Laurel."

Laurel said, over her shoulder, as she joined the others, "District attorney's orders." She flashed them one of her biggest and brightest smiles, winked, and left.

"Kinda weird having my ex-girlfriend's blessing on our marriage."

As she hugged his arm and snuggled up to him, Felicity said, "It takes some special people like you and Laurel for that to happen."

Oliver looked down at her. "She's more like family."

Felicity smiled brightly and nodded. "Of course. For me as well."

"Well, Mrs. Queen, shall we?"

"We shall."

**AN: Well, this is it. I really enjoyed writing this story. With all of these NP stories, I came up quite easily with the first chapters, but when the show didn't go that way, I had to come up with something else. I'm rather pleased with the twists and turns of this story, even if the story does show my amateur status, as yet. But I feel I've improved greatly over this year since I started writing again. Practice does make perfect after all.**

**Please check out my other stories, if you haven't already. I also am contemplating a sequel to this story...we shall see. (You never can tell with that Ra's). Thank you again for reading, enjoying and supporting my stories. See you soon.**


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